


The Young Savior

by cbeelz92



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24863203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cbeelz92/pseuds/cbeelz92
Summary: Emma Swan comes to Storybrooke at the age of twelve
Relationships: Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan & Emma Swan, Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard & Emma Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

Getting on the bus was surprisingly easy. Apparently no one thought twice about a thirteen year old girl traveling alone, as if it was an every day occurrence. August had slipped Emma the ticket two days prior during his visit. August Booth had been the closest thing she had ever had to family. He was the one who found her on the side of the road as a baby when he was seven. Since then they had been inseparable, even ending up in the same group homes when Emma would be sent back from any foster home that would take a chance on her. That was until he filed for emancipation when he turned sixteen. She had been angry at first but he promised to visit any time he could. He had held strong to the promise, coming around to spend the first Sunday of the month with her, like clockwork.

This last Sunday was no different, except, this time would be the last. They were planning an escape, one that would take them away from all their troubles. The idea was for Emma to run away to the bus station and head north with August meeting her days later just in case there was suspicion that he was responsible for her disappearance. Emma’s social worker, having been August's as well, was no dummy. He would be her first suspect.  
Now here she was, sitting in the window seat in the back of a Greyhound bus, her tattered backpack holding her most precious possessions. A few change of clothes, an old grey sweatshirt, her portable cd player with a couple mix discs a rare friend at the home had made her, some granola bars, a couple bottles of water, about fifty dollars she had managed to save up, a flip phone with paid minutes August had given her, and her very loved baby blanket.

She had been wrapped in it when August found her on the side of the road all those years ago. White, soft, and with her name engraved in purple, it was the only thing she had that showed she, at one time, had been loved. The only thing that she could never understand, if someone had taken the time to make such a beautiful blanket for her, why did they give her up. When she was younger, she had held out hope that one day, someone would come find her. So much so that she kept herself guarded so as not to let herself feel for anything for anyone who might want to adopt her. As time went on, that hope faded and her walls were more to keep out the potential for hurt. She had her share in her short life, that was for sure, but now she was making her own way. As much as she could at least.

"We'll be making a quick fifteen minute stop. Feel free to stretch your legs, use the restroom, or get some snacks. If you aren't on the bus when we take off again, you'll be waiting a week for the next one", the drivers voice came over the intercom. Emma gathered her things as the bus pulled up to a small convenience store and gas station. As she stepped off, she took her first real look at the green forests of Maine. She knew she couldn't chance being seen on a security camera inside the store, so she opted to explore around the premise a bit.

Emma Swan had spent the majority of her life in cities, whether that be Boston or her brief time in Minneapolis, if you can even count six months. That being said, she always felt drawn to the forest. It brought a calm over her that she craved. An escape from the noise and constant movement of her life. The soft greens and browns and whispered sounds called to her, almost as if she was meant to be there. She was walking down a small trail, probably weathered down by previous travelers looking to take a break from the road, when a swift movement caught her eye.

She turned quickly, eyes wide, and mind alert. It was only then that she noticed she had wondered further than she thought. She noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye again, causing her heart to skip a beat. Years of survival instinct she had been forced to develop screamed at her to turn around and head back to the bus. Turning on her heel she quickened her pace and headed back. Her heart dropped when she realized that she should have turned back sooner. Where the bus had once been, only tire marks remained. She went to her backpack to dig out her phone. She only had one number saved, August, the only person in this world she knew she could trust. Hitting the speed dial, her disappointment only deepened when she was answered by a robotic voice claiming she was, "out of the service area". Her luck was worsened when she noticed the closed sign on the convenience store door.

"Awesome" she sighed. Returning her phone to the side pocket, she took her sweat shirt out pulling it over her yellow striped t-shirt. Looking at her watch, she knew she only had a few hours before night. She needed to find shelter and fast. Pulling all her courage, the twelve year old turned north and began walking.

After what felt like hours, Emma’s legs felt heavy, her eyes were starting to burn, and her senses were on high alert. She had yet to see a house or any sign of civil since she left the rest stop. Starting to lose hope that she would find a safe place for the night, she noticed a sign on the side of the road that seemed to just appear out of no where. "What the...", she started, her eyes narrowing as she approached. "Welcome to Storybrooke. What kind of a name is that?" It didn't matter how weird it sounded, if there was a town, there were places she could hide for the night and, maybe, find food in the morning.

She decided to continue on, eventually finding her way to Main street of the little town. It was rather late, the street lights were on, and it seemed as if everyone in the town was asleep. She looked inside the different shop windows, trying to get a feel for where she was. Emma only paused when she noticed the grey blur pass by her line of sight again. Turning around slowly, she saw a large dog standing down the street from her. It didn't move, not an inch, and neither did Emma. Her heartbeat quickened when she realized it wasn't a normal dog, but a wolf.

It stared at her with its' one red eye, tongue panting as if it had traveled a long distance. Her fight or flight instinct took over, her feet finding the power to run. She turned the corner of the closest street, only looking back to see if the wolf had followed. Before she could turn back around she collided into another body. Both stumbled back and fell onto the sidewalk. Catching her breathe and looking up, Emma took in the young boy who had run into her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who are you?", the boy demanded. He looked to be close to Emma’s age, maybe a little younger. His brown hair was longer than most coming down to his ears but he was probably just due for a haircut. He was dressed in an old pair of jeans, a red and white checkered button up, and over top was a black pea coat and red and grey striped scarf to protect him from the cold. His brown eyes stayed trained on hers as they both fought to catch their breath.

"I...uh", as if her brain was functioning again, she scrambled to her feet, her attention now behind her where she expected find the wolf stalking towards them. To her surprise, there was nothing but an empty street. "I...wait, who are you?" She made sure to turn the questions back on the kid.

"I'm Henry, Henry Mills", he said extending his hand. It was only then she noticed he was carrying a rather large book. "I don't think I've ever seen you before", he gave her a puzzled look.

"Ya, I uh, just got into town", she hoped that answer would suffice.

"By yourself?", he questioned.

"No", she gave him a look as if to say 'duh'. "With my...brother", she lied. Although if she could get a hold of August to have him come pick her up it wouldn't be a total lie. "He just sent me to pick up some things for breakfast"

"After midnight?", there was no way he would be buying any of that, "None of the stores are even open."

"We're from Boston, like ninety five percent of the stores are open twenty four seven.", Emma replied smugly. That was not a lie. There were nights she would sneak out of the group home just to get a slurpie from the 7/11.

"Well, not in Storybrooke, The Dark Star Pharmacy is the only thing that's open late. That's only til like eight, probably because Mr. Clark can't stop sneezing long enough to lock up", Henry said with a hint of sarcasm, man this kid could talk.

"Whatever", Emma waved him off. Gathering her back pack she tried to walk past Henry only for him to step in front of her. "What?", she huffed.

"You still haven't told me your name", he replied. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Seeing that he wasn't going to let her go without an answer she sighed, "It's Emma, now can I go?"

"Free country", he shrugged, moving to the side to let her pass.

"Thank you", she replied with some sass. She took two steps before curiosity got the best of her. "What are you doing out here?", now it was her turn to give the accusatory eyes.

To her surprise he held his ground. What surprised her more was his answer. "I'm running away. When I get to he nearest bis stop, I'm going to buy a ticket to New York"

"What's in New York?", now she was curious.

"None of your business he replied.

Just as she was about to give an equally snarky remark back, she heard footsteps coming up the street.

"Henry!", a man's voice shouted. Emma turned to look at the boy and saw a look of fear. Turning back, she noticed the man looked to be wearing a sheriff uniform. Not even thinking, she took off running. No way was she going back to Boston, not when she was so close.

Henry on the other hand was frozen. He had been caught. It lasted a little longer than he thought, but obviously his mother and noticed his bed was empty and sent Sheriff Graham after him. Knowing there was not point in running, he walked towards the man with his eyes down.

"Henry, your mother is worried sick about you", Graham's accent was even heavier the deeper he breathed. "Come on, let's get you home". Graham clapped a hand on Henry's shoulder and guided him towards his crusier. All the while, Emma was watching from behind a stand of flowers. She felt bad for the kid but it sounded like he had parents that actually cared that he had run away. Unlike her, who still needed to find a place to sleep for the night.

Waiting til the Sheriff had driven out of sight, Emma continued up the street. Turning down an alley she noticed a yellow bug sitting to the side. It's back tires were flat and it looked like it hadn't been washed in years. Thinking it was as good a place as ever, she tried the door. Unsurprisingly it was locked. Looking around she spotted a pile of boxes and trash. On a wim, she dropped her back pack and walked over to see if she could find something to help her jimmy the door open.

As if by a miracle, she found a wire coat hanger. Bending it she went back to the car and slid it between the door. Obviously, her short time on the streets a couple years back had taught her a few things. It took a few tries, and words she probably shouldn't have said, before she managed to get the lock free. Smiling triumphantly, she opened the door, grabbed her bag, and slid in. Throwing her bad into the back seat, she then managed to climb, ungracefully she might add, into the back.

Taking a minute to inspect her shelter for the night, she noticed she rather liked the car. It had a homey feeling to it. It was small, but not too small. Just right for her. Unzipping her bag, she pulled out her baby blanket and wrapped it around her. Curling up on her side, she was finally able to take a breath since watching the bus drive off without her. Closing her eyes, she let herself succumb to the exhaustion, drifting off into a deep slumber. She'd have to figure out what to do for food and how to get a hold of August still, but that was a problem for tomorrow.

Henry, after arriving home to a worried sick mother and enduring her lecture about leaving the house without her, made his way up to his room. Opening his book, he started to turn the pages, looking for one in particular that had been on his mind since he met that girl on the street. There was something about her that seemed so familiar. He had never seen her at school and she said she was from Boston, but still. 

Finally, he arrived at the page he was looking for. In the picture, was Snow White and Prince Charming. Their story had not been the typical Disney version and Henry liked that. Instead of a helpless princess, Snow White was strong, courageous, caring, beautiful and hopeful. A bandit on the run from the Evil Queen. She had met the Prince after she tried to steel a a satchel of jewels to barter passage on a ship. He had tracked her down and the rest, as they say, is history.

Henry kept his eyes trained on the image of the fairy tail couple. In this story, Snow White had just given birth to their daughter, and was getting ready to send her off to the wardrobe hat would carry the baby away grok their land before the Evil Queens terrible curse could strike. That baby would one day come back and break the curse. 

That was it! That's why the girl had seemed so familiar. Henry had been given the book a few weeks prior by his teacher Miss Blanchard. He had figured out quick that this book was more than just stories. They were true, and everyone in this town was a part of them. He also knew that Miss Blanchard had to be Snow White and his own mother, the mayor, he had discovered...was the Evil Queen.

"Emma", he whispered, "She's the savior." A smile spread across his face as he looked out at the clock tower in the center of town that never moved. Emma had come back and she was going to break the curse.


	3. Chapter 3

When Emma awoke the next day, it took her a couple seconds to remember where she was. Taking in her surroundings, she realized she was in the back of a car, her blanket strewn haphazardly across her. Slowly, her vision came into focus as well as the events from her previous day. Memories of the bus pulling away, walking for hours before finally finding the small town, and a brunette runaway had led her to her precarious situation. She needed to get in touch with August. Pulling out her phone, she also realized that she needed to charge it before that was going to happen. Judging by the rumbling in her stomach, food was going to have to come sooner rather than later as well.

Gathering up her things, Emma wormed her way to the front seat of the car. Looking at the windshield she could see bits of frost starting to melt. With her phone dead she wasn’t quite sure what time it was but could tell it was, more than likely, still morning. She took a moment to make sure she had all her things, took a look around to make sure no one was walking by, and then opened the door. Climbing out of the bug, she pulled down her sweatshirt that had bunched up and made her way down the street. The little town was much busier than the night before. People were bustling around, starting their mornings and heading to work. It seemed her stomach was taking lead as she followed a wonderful smell all the way to a small little diner further up the street. It seemed like a cozy place, nothing too special to an outsider, but more than likely everyone in town’s favorite.

When she walked in, she noticed people scattered about, some sitting at tables with other, some by themselves, and others at the counter bar. A young woman in some rather revealing clothes was arguing with an older woman, probably Granny if she had to bet on it, by the register. Not wanting to be noticed, Emma made her way to the corner booth to her left. She sat down and took out her cell phone and charger and began looking for an outlet. Lucky for her, there was one on the wall by the window. Plugging it into the wall, she sat back in her seat and started scanning through the menu. Knowing she didn’t have much money to work with, she looked for the cheapest option she could find. After a few minutes, the scantily clad waitress made her way over to her. She had a nice smile but reasons Emma couldn’t explain, she didn’t seem happy.  
“What can I get you sweetheart?”, the waitress named Ruby asked her.

“Um…can I have Froot Loops…and a water please”, Emma answered.

“Is that all? Would you like a donut or maybe a bagel with that?”, Ruby asked. Obviously, most people didn’t come to the diner to order something they could have at home.

“No thank you ma’am”, Emma replied shyly.

“Ma’am”, Ruby giggled, “The names Ruby.” She took a second, seemingly looking Emma over, “I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before, what’s your name?”

Emma wasn’t very sure she should answer, the last thing she wanted was attention on her. However, she figured not answering would draw even more than letting the seemingly harmless waitress know her name and made up story. “I’m Emma, my dad had to go into work early and forgot to go to the grocery, so he gave me some money for breakfast.”

“Well Emma, it’s very nice to meet you. I’ll have your sugary start to the day out in a jiff”, Ruby smiled and winked before heading back to the kitchen.

With the waitress gone, Emma took a second to breathe. Sitting back in the booth, she turned over her place mat and grabbed a crayon from the cup sitting on her table. She started thinking about all the things that had happened in the past few days. August had been so sure of their plan, “fail safe”, he had said. Emma wasn’t sure that he had taken into consideration what to do if she had missed her bus. The sound of the bell on the front door signaling another customer pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed a woman with short black hair wiping her feet off on the mat. She had a bag on her shoulder, wore knee high boots, and had a beige coat with a scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked a little flustered walking up to the counter. Ruby approached her with a smile, obviously she was friends with this woman. They exchanged words but Emma couldn’t hear what they were saying, she just assumed she was putting in her order.

Eventually, Ruby walked away and the woman took a seat at the counter. She seemed to finally take a breath and looked around the diner, her eyes eventually landing on Emma. Not wanting to seem like she was staring, Emma quickly looked back down at her drawing. Hoping that the dark-haired woman’s eyes had passed her by, she chanced a peek, only to be met by a pair of green eyes. Eyes that seemed to be inspecting Emma. Before Emma could look away again, the woman gave her a kind smile. Not wanting to be rude, Emma gave her a small smile back. Luckily, about that time, Ruby came back to her table with her cereal.

“Here we are, one bowl of Froot Loops, a water, and a bear claw on the house”, Ruby smiled placing the food in front of Emma.

“A bear claw?”, Emma questioned.

“Ya! Froot Loops isn’t nearly enough to get you to lunch. You seemed like a bear claw kind of girl”, the waitress quipped with her hand on her hips.

“Thank you, ma’am, I mean…Ruby”, Emma smiled shyly. Very rarely did she ever receive this kind of kindness in her life.

“No problem”, Ruby winked at her for a second time that morning as she walked away.

Looking back over to the counter, Emma noticed the woman was gone now. Perhaps having taken her food to go. It was odd, normally Emma wouldn’t think much about a passing stranger, but there was something about the woman that made her curious. Who was she? Why did her stare, something that would usually set her on edge, suddenly bring a sense of calm over her? Whoever she was, she was gone now but it didn’t stop her curiosity.

After finishing her breakfast, she wrapped up the reaming half of the bear claw she had saved and put it in the front pocket of her bookbag for later. She didn’t have much money so she figured it might be a good snack to tide her over until she could find some dinner. She left a five-dollar bill on the table, threw her backpack over her shoulder, grabbed her phone that was not fully charged but at least not dead, and headed out the door. Now, she just needed to figure out what to do for the rest of the day and try to get a hold of August, and soon. The longer she spent in the town alone, the more likely it was that she would be caught.


	4. Chapter 4

After leaving the small diner, Emma found her way down Main Street, taking a moment to look in the windows of the little shops, always taking care to not be noticed. There was a bakery, a drug store that the Henry kid had mentioned, a mechanic, florist, an animal shelter, and even a little pawn shop. The pawn shop gave Emma an odd feeling, almost a sense of uneasiness but a pull at the same time. She decided not to stay long at that window, she had trustworthy instincts and they were screaming at her to walk away. As she continued to walk, she eventually came to the bay where she noticed a rundown looking jungle gym that at one time must have resembled a castle.  
It seemed to be abandoned and considering it was a Thursday in October, she figured she’d have it to herself what with all the kids in Storybrooke more than likely in school for the day. At first glance, it wasn’t much, it looked as if it had been long forgotten and neglected. There were three towers with shingles falling off the roof and what looked like, at one time, may have stood another. The wood looked weathered, like maybe it had seen one too many storms or winters. However, there was a slide that looked like it could still hold the weight of a child. To Emma though, it was perfect, exactly what she needed to stay under the radar for the day.

Taking one last look around to make sure she wasn’t followed, she carefully climbed up into the structure. She took a seat on the platform, set her bag to her side, and let her legs dangle as she looked out to the harbor. Emma had always loved the water, didn’t matter if it was the ocean or a pond, she always felt at ease. The two years she had spent in Minnesota were not her favorite, but she did enjoy the many lakes the state boasted. She met one of her only friends by the water. Lily was trouble in the end but the time they spent together Emma would never forget. When she came back to Boston, she was much happier to be near the Atlantic and smell of the sea. Storybrooke definitely won brownie points for its location that was for sure. She took another deep breath, breathing in the salty air and let her body relax before she dug in her backpack for her phone. She needed to get a hold of August.

Going into her recent calls, she clicked on his number and put the phone to her ear. After five or six rings, her heart dropped a bit when she was met with August’s voicemail.

“Hey it’s August, you know what to do.”

“Hey Auggie…it’s Emma. I need you to call me as soon as you can, I missed the bus and now I’m stuck in some town called Storybrooke. I’m ok but I really need you. Please call me back.”, she hit the end call button with a shaky hand. Why wasn’t he answering her call, he never missed her calls! She wanted to panic, but she knew now was not the time. She needed to keep it together. August would never let her down, she’d find him. Until then, she’d just have to do what she did best…survive on her own.

The hours passed by and Emma found ways to keep herself occupied. It wasn’t too cold of a day, so she decided to stay in the castle. She read one of the few books she had taken from the group home, drew some in her sketch book, and even took a little nap. By the time she looked at her phone again, it was nearing four o’clock. That seemed like a decent time for her to walk back into town and not draw any suspicion since the rest of the kids in town would probably be out of school by then.  
Sitting up, she nearly screamed when she came face to face with the kid from last night,

“Holly crap you scared me!” He wore a giant grin on his face a long with his school uniform. ‘Great’, she thought, ‘It’s that kind of town’. Most public schools didn’t require their students to wear uniforms unless they had money, Emma had learned in the past. There was no way she was going to be able to blend in long here.

“Sorry”, Henry, ya that was his name, shied away. “I wasn’t trying to, honest.”

“Then why did you sneak up on me”, Emma questioned harshly.

“I didn’t! I was just surprised to see someone here is all!”, he looked down at his feet, “No one else ever comes here”

“Why not?”, Emma asked, her voice taking a softer tone. She wasn’t trying to be mean to the kid, she just had these natural defenses she had built up over the years that did their job well in keeping people from seeing what she really felt.

“I don’t know. I have a hard time making friends anyway with my mom and all. Plus, I mean, look at this thing.”, he gestured to the rickety old playground, “It’s not exactly the best playground in the world.”

“It’s definitely no Disney Land”, Emma scoffed.

“Huh?”, Henry was looking at her like she had two heads or something.

“Disney Land? You know, big castle, lots of rides…”, when he still didn’t look like he understood she tried, “Mickey Mouse lives there?”

“Oh! Ok”, he finally acknowledged but looked away.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?”, Emma sighed. Did this kid live in a hole? “Have you never seen any Disney movies? Like Peter Pan, Cinderella, Pete’s Dragon…Snow White?”, growing up in foster and group homes, Disney movies always seemed to be around.

“My mom doesn’t really let me watch movies”, Henry answered.

“She what?! What is she, the Warden or something?”

“The Mayor actually”, Henry grimaced.

“Damn, that might be worse”, Emma shot him a look of sympathy.

“It’s ok”, Henry thought for a minute before looking back up at Emma, “Hey, do you want to see my story book?”

“Your story book?”, Emma questioned a little dumbfounded.

“Ya look!”, Henry climbed up the last few stairs and sat down next to her. Unzipping his book bag, he reached in and pulled out a giant brown, leather bound book. Its title read ‘Once Upon a Time’.

“You weren’t kidding were you”, Emma scoffed.

“Here look”, he handed the book over, opening it and thumbing through the pages so Emma could see. “It has all the classics, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, and even Snow White! Just, there different the ones we know.”

“Different how?”, Emma wasn’t exactly sure what could be different about the classics.

“Like, Snow White, she isn’t some helpless princess who waits for her Prince Charming to come rescue her. She’s actually a bandit princess who uses a bow and arrow to take out the Black Knights the Evil Queen sends after her, look!”, he pointed to a picture of Snow White in a green cloak, her bow drawn. He would be lying if he said he didn’t have his own agenda showing Emma this book. He was just having trouble with knowing when or if to tell her the stories were real, the last thing he needed was another person to think he was crazy. His therapist, Dr. Hopper, said he believed him, but Henry wasn’t sure sometimes. He was hoping seeing her “mom’s” story might make her believe, or at least, start to consider it.

“Ya…I guess it is a little different”, Emma agreed.

It was going to take a lot to get this girl to believe that was for sure. He needed her to make a connection. Scratching his brain, a light bulb finally went off. Ms. Blanchard, his teacher! He already knew she was Snow White; he just didn’t know how to prove it. He had even shown his teacher that the pictures in the book looked just like her. She would simply look and say he had a wonderful imagination. Henry chalked it up to the curse, blinding her from the truth, but maybe Emma would see it! He needed them to meet, but where?

“Hey, I’m getting hungry”, Emma said closing the book and handing it back to Henry, “I was thinking about going to Granny’s again. Would you want to come?”, she offered. Honestly, she didn’t dislike this kid, he seemed nice. To be honest, she figured walking through town with him would be less suspicious that going by herself again.

Henry agreed a little quicker than she thought he would. He secured his book in his bag again and stood up to walk down the steps. Emma on the other hand, reached out for the old fireman’s pole and slid down. Once on the ground, the two started to walk down the road, back to town. Henry smiled to himself as they went, he knew Ms. Blanchard would be at Granny’s, she almost always went there for dinner after school. She was friends with Ruby the waitress and the two would talk while she ate. This was going to be the chance Henry was waiting for, he’d introduce Ms. Blanchard and Emma, and, with any amount of luck, his newfound friend would recognize her from the book.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking back to Granny’s, Emma found it easy to talk to Henry. He was a nice kid who seemed excited just to have someone his age take an interest in him. Emma herself hadn’t had a lot of friends growing up in the system. Sure, she had August, but he was seven years older than her. They may have been in each others’ lives for as long as she could remember, but that didn’t mean they always got a long or that August wanted his pseudo little sister to hang around him and his buddies. There were times when she was in a foster home that they would go without talking for weeks at a time, but they always stayed close. Henry, it seemed, would take whatever he could get. It seemed to Emma that the majority of his “friends” were the adults in his life who had to be nice to him because it was their job, or they were scared to death of his mayor mom.

They entered the diner while Henry finished telling Emma how his book with the new spin on the classic fairytales came to be in his possession. Apparently, his favorite teacher Miss Blanchard gave it to him one day when he was feeling a bit down. She had to admit, she was a little jealous of Henry, she had never had many positive relationships with adults. Teachers were nice but she was never there long enough for one to get to know her, let alone give her a present just because she was having a bad day. Whoever this Miss Blanchard was must be someone special from the way he talks about her.

The two walked over to the same booth that Emma had found herself in earlier that morning, with Henry giving a wave and a smiled to the waitress Ruby on the way. She started looking at the choices and her eyes immediately landed on her all time favorite, grilled cheese. Her choice made, she continued to scan the menu, looking for the perfect pair to what she called the ‘Sandwich of the Gods’. She was so lost in thought she didn’t see the petite brunette from the morning approach the table. Emma was only brought back when a soft voice cut in.

“Good evening Henry”, Emma’s eyes snapped up to see a soft smile and kind eyes on her new friend. Dang even this lady knew Henry.

“Hi Miss Blanchard!”, Henry replied enthusiastically. Emma looked back and forth between the two. So this was amazing teacher he was going on about all afternoon. “Oh, this is my friend Emma. Emma this is Miss Blanchard!”, Henry turned the woman’s attention onto her. All Emma could do was stare.

“Well hello Emma, it’s nice to meet you”, the teacher offered her hand for Emma to shake, all the while Henry was eagerly staring at the two with a goofy grin. Hesitantly, she reached out to shake hands. When they touched, Emma felt a spark and then a warmth flow through her body. Miss Blanchard must have felt it too when she pulled back at the same time. “I’m sorry, must be static electricity”. 

Emma merely nodded, “It’s ok”.

“Do you want to have dinner with us?”, Emma and Miss Blanchard both turned their attentions to the boy. More surprised that her gut wasn’t telling her to run, Emma could stare at the woman and wait for her answer.

“Well…”, Miss Blanchard thought while looking around, “won’t your mother be…joining you…soon?”, she asked hesitantly as she fiddled with the ring on her middle finger. Wow, Emma thought, even the soft-spoken teacher seemed to be weary of Henry’s mom.

“No”, Henry shook his head, “she’s in a meeting. I’m supposed to walk to her office after I eat.”, he explained.

“You know”, Miss Blanchard smiled, “why not”. She went to sit next to Henry, but the boy conveniently looked back at his menu and didn’t look like he had any intent on moving.   
That left Emma to scoot over and awkwardly smile at the teacher as she sat down next to her. Of course, when she was seated, Henry looked up at Emma with a coy smile. If she didn’t know any better, she would almost guess her new friend had planned for this to happen. She merely smiled at the woman and handed over her menu. Moments later, Ruby approached their table. 

“I see you’ve found some friends to eat with tonight Mary Margret”, she smiled with a snap of her gum.

“It would seem so”, she smiled back, “and not bad company if I do say so myself.” The three placed their orders and made small talk while they waited for their food and drinks. Emma was surprised that Miss Blanchard did not try to pry into her life. She was almost certain that being a teacher she would know every kid in the school and who their parents were. This didn’t seem like the type of town to get new kids and the teachers be unaware of it. There food arrived quickly and now there was only the sounds were the occasional fork scraping a plate, milkshake being slurped by a ten and thirteen year old, and the white noise of the diner.

“So, Emma," Henry broke the silence, "when are you going to start school?”, he asked before taking another sip of his milkshake. It earned him a glare from his new friend. Her stomach dropped, her palms, began to sweat, and her eyes stayed fixed on him. She had no escape route, she had let the teacher sit next to her and take her only route to the door away.

“I…uh, um,”, she began trying to buy herself some time.

“I mean I know you’re older than me so you won’t be in Miss Blanchard’s class but I was hoping maybe I’d see you at lunch or the playground”, he smiled.

“Oh I’m sure you will Henry.”, Mary Margaret smiled at the boy before turning towards Emma. There was no ill intent in her eyes, just pure kindness and slight curiosity. “Will you be joining us on Monday, Emma?”

“Home school!”, Emma blurted. She looked up at the two sets of eyes on her that seemed just as surprised as she. Where had that come from, she thought. She was panicking, Henry put her on the spot, and this grown up was going to catch her in a lie fast if she didn’t come up with something! “I’m home schooled”, she said with any ounce of confidence she could muster up.

“You are?!”, Henry asked in disbelief. She had said she came to town with a brother or something the night before, but he just assumed she would be going to school. This was going to put a dent in his plans.

“Yup, that’s how I do school”, Emma stuffed her mouth with the last of the fries on her plate to keep from talking any more than she needed to. She chanced a glance to Miss Blanchard who had a puzzled look. Oh no, she thought, she’s not buying this. She decided to take offense before the teacher could put her on the defense. “What?”, she asked with a bit of sass.

Miss Blanchard merely shook her head quickly and turned a smile back on the girl. “Nothing, absolutely nothing Emma. There is nothing wrong with home school. In fact, if you would like, you can let your mother know you are more than welcome to come to recess with us so you can see Henry and meet some of the other kids in town.”

“I live with my older brother, he’s twenty”, Emma retorted, “I don’t know my mom…or my dad” She didn’t mean it to come of as brash as it did. Nor did she mean to give away that much information about herself to an adult she only just met but she felt like it was essential to her staying in the dark while she waited for August.

“Well…the offer still stands Emma. You are more than welcome whenever you would like.”, Mary Margaret glanced at the clock on the wall then turned back to the children. “It’s getting late and I have some grading I need to do.”, she stood up and grabbed her purse. “And Henry I’ll bet your mom will be getting home from her meeting any minute.”, she tilted her head towards the boy with a knowing look. Henry looked quickly at the clock as well and a slightly panicked look came across his face.

“Shoot! You’re right!”, he started digging through his book bag for money to pay for his dinner.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered Henry”, Mary Margaret smiled before placing some money should had taken from her wallet on the table. “That goes for you as well Miss Emma.”

“Oh…you don’t…have to do that. I’ve got money…”, Emma tried but was cut off by the teachers hand silencing her.

“It’s my treat. I really enjoyed meeting you. You were both wonderful dinner company tonight. Henry, I’ll see you in class tomorrow, and Emma,”, she smiled at the girl, “hopefully we see each other again soon. If you do decide to come by the school…”

“I’ll find you”, Emma interjected with a small smile. 

It seemed to catch the teacher by surprise as it took her a beat before responding, “You’ll find me.” Miss Margaret turned with one last smile and headed out the diner door. Emma watched her leave and then out the window as the older woman headed up the street towards what she could only assume was her home. She kept staring until she noticed Henry quickly standing up from the booth.

“I’ve got to get home before my mom or she’ll be so mad”, he scurried to get his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. He went to leave but stopped. “Will I see you tomorrow Emma?”, he asked.

She thought for a moment, all the alarms and red flags about getting too close to someone were going off but for once in her life, she wanted to ignore them. The idea of friends was an odd one to her. Bouncing around in the system, you aren’t really in one place long enough to make them. Usually, she would find kids that she could get a long with or get something out of and that would be it, time to move again. Henry, it seemed, she had a little more in common with than she thought, and she found herself wanting to get to know him. Even if once August came and picked her up probably never see him again. Taking a breath, she smiled at Henry, “Ya, sure. Meet me back at the castle tomorrow when you get out of school.”

“Awesome!”, his smile could light up half of Boston. That alone made Emma smile back. “See you tomorrow Emma”, he waved before going through the door. She waited a few minutes before doing the same, being careful that no one followed her on her way back to the abandoned bug.


	6. Chapter 6

She did meet up with Henry again. Emma met up with Henry every day for the next week in fact. She did not, however, consider Miss Blanchard’s offer to join her class at recess. That just seemed to risky to her. She would just wait at the castle until Henry was done with school and then the two would either play cards, she would help him with his homework when it was something she could remember, or Henry would read stories from his storybook. He would offer to let her read, but she would always refuse, reading not being her strength. It wasn’t that she couldn’t read, it was that the words would jump around on the pages or she would find herself reading the same line more than once. She loved stories, loved to listen to them, and wanted to enjoy reading them, it just required more work for her than most. But she wasn’t about to let her new friend know that. Henry didn’t seem to mind that Emma never wanted to read.

Today they were reading about the story of Cinderella and when she met Rumpelstiltskin. Emma was noticing this guy pop up more and more throughout the stories. Before this book, the only thing she knew about Rumpelstiltskin was that he could spin straw into gold, liked to steal babies, and always wanted to make people guess his name. Now, she was finding him incredibly clever, opportunistic, and downright annoying. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to make a deal with this guy. Henry continued reading, he was to the part where Cinderella and Prince Thomas conspired with Snow White and Prince Charming to capture the Dark One (the other name this guy went by) and break the deal Cinderella had made to give him her first born. About the time that Rumpelstiltskin signed with the squid ink, Emma noticed a black car pulling up to the playground. She had seen the car around town but never the driver. It was too late for her to run, they would have seen her with Henry by now, they weren’t exactly out in the open but not incognito either. She would just have to hope and pray that whoever they were, their business was not with her or her friend.

No such luck it would seem for Emma. A tall woman, with dark hair, and a very sensible pant suit got out of the car and began walking to the playground with strong intent. Her eyes were fixed on Henry and he still had not noticed. “Henry Daniel Mills!”, the woman raised her voice as she continued towards them. Henry’s eyes snapped up and as he quickly closed the storybook.

“Mom”, Henry muttered.

“Mom!”, Emma exclaimed, “that’s your mom?” Henry merely nodded, his eyes never leaving his mothers’

“Why are you not at Dr. Hopper’s office? I went to pick you up and he said you never showed up for your appointment.”, her voice was like ice to Emma. This woman looked like she could turn you to stone with one look. Definitely not someone she wanted to cross in a dark alley.

“I uh…I didn’t want to go.”, Henry finally answered his mother. He started to stand but as he did, he moved the storybook into Emma’s lap.

“Henry we have talked about this, you go to Dr. Hopper because it is what’s best for you. Now get in the car, I was able to reschedule your appointment.”, Henry’s mother turned her body to head back to the car but as she did her eyes landed on Emma. “And who are you?”, she demanded more than asked.

“Emma”, she stood her ground. She learned long ago that if you held yourself with confidence, adults were less likely to try and steamroll you.

“Is that so?”, the mayor questioned, “Well Emma…I suggest that you run home to your mother. I’m sure she is wondering where you are.”

“Emma doesn’t…”, Henry began but was cut off quickly by Emma.

“Yes ma’am, it’s almost dinner time anyway”, Emma stuffed the book into her backpack before looking back up at Henry, “I’ll see you soon Henry, I’m sorry I got you in trouble with your mom.”, she winked and then jumped from the castle to the ground. She walked a good ways before looking over her shoulder to see Henry, solemnly, getting into the front seat of his mom’s car. After finally meeting the Mayor, she could see why Henry wanted to run away that night she met him, his mom was a real piece of work. At the same time, at least he had a mom to care enough about him to come find him.

Emma had gone to the little market on main street to grab some dinner, she had skipped lunch to save money since she was starting to run low, and now her stomach was rebelling. She had been in Storybrooke for over a week still waiting for August to get in touch with her. If she said she wasn’t worried she would be lying. She was close to giving up altogether that she would ever hear from him. It was getting close to the point where she would have to resort to stealing for her to survive. Not to mention, the fall season was getting late and winter was on its way. She would need to find somewhere better than the yellow bug to live out of if she didn’t want to turn into a popsicle. That was a problem for another day, right now, all she wanted to do was eat. As she was leaving the store, she started to dig through her bag, looking for the banana that she had bought, when she collided into a slightly bigger body. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t…”

“No no! It’s ok!”, a kind but familiar voice cut her off. It was nearly dark by this time and her eyes took a second to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did, she realized it was Mary Margaret she had run into. The teacher let her hands drop from Emma’s shoulders and her eyes, which she realized were the same color as her own, were focused on hers. “Are you ok?”, she asked.

“Um…ya, ya I’m good.”, Emma went to continue on her way.

“You’re out pretty late”, Mary Margaret raised her voice enough to get the girls attention, causing her to stop.

‘Stay cool’, Emma thought and then turned around. “It’s not that late”, she shrugged. “I was at the library and lost track of time.”

“Oh,”, the teacher nodded and folded her arms against herself, “well I guess that’s a good reason.” She kept her eyes locked on Emma’s, it felt like she was waiting for her to flinch or maybe come clean. Emma Swan was not about to break, especially not to the timid Mary Margaret.

“What about you?”, Emma tried to turn the attention anywhere but herself.

“What about me?”, Mary Margaret asked.

“Shouldn’t you be at home grading papers or something?”, Emma asked with a bit of snark.

Mary Margaret, to Emma’s surprise, did not back down. She merely fixed her with a look, “If you must know, I was out to dinner.”

“By yourself? No offense but that dress doesn’t exactly scream dinner for one.”, wow she could be bold when she felt cornered. Her cheeks began to flush a bit and contemplated running. “I’m sorry, that was really rude of me.”, Emma apologized, her eyes going to the ground and she began to pull at her jacket hoodie sleeve.

“It’s ok”, Mary Margaret smiled. “I was out with Dr. Whale.”

“Like a date?”

“You could call it that”, the older woman snorted, “I think he was a little more interested in Ruby’s outfit than anything I had to say.”

“I’m sorry”, Emma honestly felt bad for her. She was a nice woman and didn’t deserve to be treated like that. The teacher merely nodded and looked up the street. “I should probably get home now, my brother will be wondering where I am. It was nice to see you Miss Blanchard”, Emma turned and continued on her way, not waiting for Mary Margaret to reply with her own ‘goodbye’. She turned the corner on the next street and picked her pace up a bit, the last thing she needed was another adult to bump into her and question her about being out past sunset without supervision. She finally made it back to the bug and climbed inside. Settling into the back seat, she took out the rest of her dinner for the night, peanut butter crackers, the rest of the banana, and a water. It wasn’t much but it would have to do.

She remembered that she had taken Henry’s storybook with her before she left the park. He seemed almost worried that his mom would catch him with it. He didn’t have to say anything, she had seen that look on countless kids she shared a foster home with. Out of habit, she had taken the book without question. Pulling it out of her backpack now, she opened it to a random page. On the page, was a picture of Snow White, standing against a doorway to a balcony on her castle. Emma could tell that she was pregnant as she was laying her hand across her swollen stomach and looking out to the water below. Emma wasn’t sure why, but she was always drawn to Snow White and Prince Charming’s story. Sure, she loved hearing Henry read about their adventures, but what she really liked, was listening to how much they loved each other. It was the truest love in all the realms. It didn’t matter how many times they lost each other, Charming would always find her and her him.

She turned the flashlight app on her phone on so that she could attempt to read a page or two before falling asleep. Looking at the picture more, she began to see the Snow’s features. Dark, midnight hair, that fell down her back in curls, green eyes, and fair skin. If Emma didn’t know any better, she would almost say she looked like…

A tap on the window alerted her to a presence outside the car. Her heart stopped and her eyes were the size of saucers as she tried to hide her phone and dive down under the seats, praying that whatever it was would leave. Her lack of luck that day continued when she heard a more insistent knock on the window followed by a kind but serious sounding voice, “Emma. I know you’re in there. Please come out so we can talk.” Mary Margaret had found her, she was trapped with no where else to go. She could try to run when she got out of the car, but she highly doubted she would make it far before the teacher either ran her down (unlikely) or she called the Sheriff. Emma was just going to have to face the music, she had been careless on her way back to the bug and now she was about to be sent back to the group home.

She slowly climbed into the front seat, taking a breath, before she unrolled the driver side window. Looking up, she was met not with an angry or annoyed adult, but with a look of concern. “Hi.”, she greeted softly.

“Hi”, Mary Margaret replied. Her voice was even softer if that was possible. “Honey…have you been sleeping in this car?

“No”, Emma tried.

“Emma don’t lie to me”, now her voice held a ‘no nonsense’ tone to it that made Emma’s stomach drop again.

She simply looked away from the teacher, “Yes ma’am.”

Mary Margaret took a deep breath before continuing. “You don’t live with your big brother do you?”

Emma shook her head, “I was supposed to meet my foster brother, August, here last week.” She waited for a response but the woman looked to be thinking to herself instead, so Emma continued. “We had this plan that he would get me out of the system when he was old enough, but no one would let him adopt me. He bought me a bus ticket and told me to meet him here and we would run away to somewhere no one knew us”

“Emma…”, Mary Margaret started but Emma needed to make sure she knew she would be ok by herself.

“I’ve got money and I’m used to being on my own. I know he’ll be here soon!”, she pleaded.

It felt like an eternity before the woman said anything. “Why don’t you grab your things and come out of the car sweetheart”

“Why? So you can take me to the Sheriff?”, Emma tried to hide the panic in her voice, “I won’t go back to the group home! You don’t know what it’s like there! No one cares about me there, I’m just another check, I’m better off on my own!”

“Emma please just…”

“No! Please don’t make me go back Mary Margaret!”, she was trying not to cry now but it was getting harder and harder. She tried to back away when the teacher opened the door and reached in to gently pull her out. Before she knew it, two arms were wrapped around her in a hug. She wanted to fight it, wanted to pull away and run, but the instant she was in Mary Margaret’s arms, that warm feeling ran through her again and she let herself sink into the hug. She wrapped her arms around the older woman and the tears finally gave way. For those few seconds, Emma felt safe.

“Grab your things Emma”, she whispered into the girls’ ear. This time Emma listened, she reluctantly pulled back from the embrace and turned to climb back into the backseat. She quickly threw all her belongings and Henry’s book into her backpack before climbing back out. Mary Margaret was waiting for her. Closing the door, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “So, are you taking me to the Sheriff?”

“Not tonight”, she smiled at Emma, “Tonight, you’re going to eat, take a long hot shower, and get some rest in a proper bed. We’ll worry about everything else tomorrow”. Emma nodded before following Miss Blanchard back out the alley and eventually to her apartment building. She had been caught, there was nothing else to be said, she would take the teachers’ offer for tonight and in the morning, she would more than likely be on her way back to Boston.


	7. Chapter 7

Mary Margaret had been true to her word that night. When they arrived at her loft apartment, she had gone right to work making Emma something to eat. While she waited, Emma stood by the dining room table and looked around at her new surroundings. It wasn’t very much, an open bottom floor with a small sitting area, rustic looking kitchen, and what looked to be Miss Blanchard’s bedroom on the other side separated by a thin curtain. Over by the kitchen was what Emma assumed to be the only bathroom in the place. Her eyes traveled up to the stairs towards the loft. What really struck her was how clean and organized the place was. It probably shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise seeing as the owner was a teacher.

“Emma?"

Emma’s eyes came back to Miss Blanchard upon hearing her name. The older woman was looking at her expectantly. “Huh?”

Miss Blanchard let out a small laugh, “I said would you like a grilled cheese?”

“Oh…um, yes, thank you.”, Emma answered softly.

“One or two?”

“Just one please.”

“One grilled cheese coming right up.”, the teacher smiled. “If you want...you can take your bag upstairs to the spare room. Feel free to use the shower too.”

“Is that your way of saying I stink?”, Emma narrowed her eyes playfully.

“I would never!”, Mary Margaret shook her head and gasped in mock surprise.

Emma smiled and withheld her laugh, she wasn’t about to let on that she found her funny. She also knew she couldn’t let herself relax or become comfortable since she was more than likely headed back to Boston tomorrow. Mary Margaret was nice, but she was also responsible and a rule follower from what Emma could tell. She was going to do “the right thing” and that would mean a one-way trip back to the group home. Deciding that it was better to just do as she was told, she headed up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, she found a full size bed, covered in a soft white comforter, a small dresser, a wardrobe, and a night stand with a lamp. The walls were the same white wash brick and wood as on the main level. It was a cute little guest room that Emma assumed wasn’t used much.

She laid her bookbag on the bed and dug through it for a shirt and her sweatpants. Making her way down the stairs and towards the bathroom, sparing a glance at Mary Margaret, who was keeping vigil on the grilled cheese, along the way. Opening the bathroom door, she made her way over to the tub and laid her clothes out on the vanity. Just as she stepped under the hot water, which felt amazing by the way, she heard a knock on the door. “Ya?”, she yelled over the sound of the water.

“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you knew you could use my shampoo.”, Mary Margaret answered leaning her head through the door while keeping her eyes closed.

“Thank you!”, Emma said, spying the shampoo hanging on a shelf on the back wall.

“Oh! And the towels are in the cabinet!”, she added before shutting the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Emma walked out of the bathroom, freshly showered, and feeling a little more relaxed. That was until the smell of melty cheese and crisp bread made her stomach scream out in want. Apparently, it was loud enough for Mary Margaret to hear as the teacher was trying, and failing, to hide her amusement. Emma walked over to the kitchen counter and took a seat on one of the stools where her sandwich and a mug of hot cocoa were waiting for her. Taking a sip of the drink, an unexpected flavor washed over her taste buds eliciting a surprised look on her face. “Is that…cinnamon?”, she asked.

“Ya, I’m sorry, I should have asked. It’s a little quirk on mine. Do you mind?”, Mary Margret looked nervous.

“No, I like it, I just never thought adding cinnamon to cocoa before.”, Emma assured her before taking another sip.

After that, there was an awkward silence between the two while she ate her sandwich. Nervous of the impending conversation headed her way, she took her time with small bites and sips. Mary Margaret, ever the patient teacher, didn’t push. She merely busied herself with cleaning and small tasks around the kitchen. When she finally finished, not being able to take the silence anymore, Emma decided to take matters into her own hands. “Mary Margaret…”, she paused when the teacher’s eyes snapped up from the dishes. She took a second to think about her next words but in the end, couldn’t think of what she wanted to say. Defeated, she sighed, “…never mind.”, and hung her head. “Thank you for the sandwich.”, she said before climbing down from her stool with the intention to head up the stairs.

“Emma wait”, she felt Mary Margaret’s hand on her arm before a bright light and a blurry image of a woman looking down on her flashed in her head. Just as fast as the flash came it disappeared and Emma was left with a sharp pain, her hands coming up to her temples, trying to soothe the sudden headache. Two hands came to rest on her shoulders to help keep her steady. “Are you ok?”

Hearing the soft voice, she slowly opened her eyes and gazed into the similar green ones that were focused on her own. There was a kindness there that made Emma feel like she could say anything and there would be no judgement. She paused a moment more before looking away. “I’m ok.”, she lied. Her head was pounding and her breathing had picked up, the sudden and unknown images causing her anxiety to flare up. “I…I’m just going to go to bed.”

“Are you sure? You looked like you were in pain.”

“Just a headache, I’ll be ok when I fall asleep”

“Do you want an aspirin? I know I have something in my medicine cabinet…”, she went to leave for the bathroom, but Emma promised that she was ok and she just needed sleep.

Finally, letting her be, Mary Margaret wished her a good night as she ascended the stairs. Falling back against the pillows, Emma racked her brain, trying to remember where she could have possibly seen the woman in the image before. Her face had been distorted and she thought she had heard a distorted voice but everything happened too quickly for her to really comprehend what had been happening. Whatever it was, it was over now and her only interest was sleep. She was going to need it if she was going to be going back to Boston. Pulling her baby blanket out from her backpack, she cuddled it close and fought off the tears that were threatening to fall and closed her eyes.

The next morning, Emma awoke slightly confused as to where she was. Taking a moment, she groaned as she remembered the events from the previous night. Miss Blanchard had discovered her in the bug and brought her back to her apartment. It didn’t matter if August was on his way or not, their plan was over now, she was headed back to the group home. She could only imagine how much trouble she would be in once she got back. Deciding not to prolong the inevitable, Emma slowly got out of bed and changed into her only pair of jeans and her last clean shirt. Before heading down, she made sure to make the bed, a habit she had gained from her years in foster care, not wanting to give any adult a reason to find fault with her. Taking a calming breath, she descended the stairs, coming to halt when she saw Mary Margaret, wearing a pair of skinny jeans herself and white blouse, at the stove making breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the apartment and her mouth began to water.

“Good morning!”, a cheerful Mary Margaret greeted.

“Good morning.”, Emma answered cautiously, sitting at the table where the butter and an assortment of jams had been placed.

“I hope you’re hungry, I may have gone a little overboard with the eggs.” She handed Emma a plate with the aforementioned eggs and bacon, a side of toast, and halved strawberries. “Would you like orange juice or milk?”

“Orange juice please.” While Mary Margaret went back to the kitchen to grab two glasses and the pitcher of orange juice, Emma kept a curious eye on her. Coming back to the table, she poured Emma a glass, setting it in front of her, before doing the same for herself and sitting in her own seat.  
Mary Margaret looked up from her plate, “Did you sleep well?”

“I guess”, Emma answered flatly, wondering what she was playing at.

“That’s good”, she took another bite of her food. Looking up again, Emma noticed a confused look cross her face. “Are you not hungry? I figured eggs and bacon was a pretty good bet. I have oatmeal or cereal if you want something different.”

“No, I’m fine. I just…”

“You just…what?”, Mary Margaret waited for the girl to finish.

“What are you trying to do?”, Emma didn’t yell but her voice was a lot louder than it had been since she woke up. She honestly could not understand, she woke up assuming this woman would be ready to take her to the sheriffs station the minute she came down the stairs. Instead, she had cooked her breakfast. In her experience, someone who was ready to take a runaway back did not cook them bacon and eggs. They threw them a granola bar on the way out the door. If Mary Margret was trying to ease her mind before taking her back, it wasn’t going to work. In fact, it was only making it worse. She would rather just get it over with.

Taken a bit a back, Mary Margaret sat back in her chair a bit, putting down her fork. “I’m not sure what you mean”

Emma could feel her temper surging now, she hated when adults played dumb with her. “Why haven’t you just taken me back already!”

“Emma”, Mary Margaret sighed.

“Don’t Emma me! You’re just making it worse! I know you’re going to take me to the Sheriff and he’s going to call CPS, and they’re going to take my back to the stupid group home. So stop drawing it out and take me already!”, she wiped at her eye, trying to keep any tears from falling. Over the years of being bounced around from home to home, adults giving up on her, had built up these walls that helped to keep her from pain. They weren’t perfect, but they kept her from completely falling apart. She glanced up to look at the teacher, her head tilted to the side, arms laying on the table, and that look that every foster kid was used to seeing, pity. “Please, just take me back already”, she whispered. After that, the only noise she could hear was the hum of the fridge and the beating of her own heart.

“Is that what you want?”

Emma slowly raised her head, “What?”

“Is that what you want, Emma. To go back to Boston?”, Mary Margaret was calm, to calm for Emma’s liking.

“No.”, Emma’s voice was shaking. “I don’t want to go back there.”

“You can’t stay in that car. It’s not safe”

“I can find somewhere else.”, Emma insisted.

“You can’t be on your own.”

“I can take care of myself!”

“Emma, you’re thirteen, you need a home, a school, money…”

“I was doing fine until you followed me! I’ll find somewhere!”

“Well…what about here?”


	8. Chapter 8

“What about here?”, those words continued to ring through Emma’s head the rest of that day. Never in her life had she been asked what she wanted, had she been given the choice to control what happened to her life. All thirteen plus years of her existence revolved around adults deciding what happened to her and where she would go. It never mattered if she was in a home or situation she actually felt comfortable in, however rare it was. And now, someone who barely knew her, who had caught her camping out in a yellow VW bug, was offering her a home.

Emma hadn’t believed her ears at first, she wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or not until Mary Margaret had began rambling about how it may not be as simple as her just staying but she was willing to try if that’s what Emma wanted. To stay and not go back to Boston? Of course that’s what she wanted! She just could not understand why? Why did Miss Blanchard, a woman she had only met a week ago and could count the number of times they had talked on one hand, want her? Mary Margret had eased her mind when she said she could take the weekend to make up her mind. Apparently, she had already talked to Graham before she had woke up and he agreed that the best place for Emma was with her until he could contact the proper lines. That didn’t mean he couldn’t push it to the backburner for a day or two, “He had other town business to attend to anyways.”, she had said with a wink.

So now, they were, walking down main street, headed to one of the shops that sold clothes. Mary Margret had offered to wash Emma’s dirty ones for her but the girl had insisted she could do her own. When the load barely counted as a small one, the teacher had made the decision that a shopping trip was in the works for their Saturday. They had decided to walk since it was a relatively nice day with not even a cloud in the sky but just enough bite in the temperature to require a jacket. She had tried to argue that she didn’t need one but it seemed you could take the teacher out of school but not school out of the teacher. After a look she was sure had been tested on many a students, Emma made her way back up the stairs to retrieve her sweatshirt. As they made their way to the store, they both had remained relatively quiet until Emma decided she needed to speak up.

“Thank you again for your offer Mary Margaret.”

“Is that a thank you for the offer I accept or just a general thank you?”, Mary Margret questioned with suspicious narrowed eyes.

Emma smirked and turned on her heels to walk backwards, “More of a I want to make sure you know I really appreciate it so you don’t take the offer off the table ‘thank you’.”

“Offer remains.”, Mary Margaret smiled both at the statement and the girl still walking backwards. Her smile only dropped when she realized Emma was about to collide into a man walking out the door of a store they were passing. “Emma! Look out…”, she tried to grab the girl but it was too late.

“Oomph”, Emma ran right into the man. This was becoming a habit for her it seemed.

Turning around, her eyes were huge, “I’m so sorry!”, her eyes got even bigger when she realized exactly who she had run into.

“Not to worry Dearie, accidents do happen.” The man who spoke with some kind of accent smiled while seemingly studying her, enough to make the walls in Emma go up. “I don’t believe we have met, I’m Mr. Gold, I own the Pawn Shop down the way.”

“Mr. Gold I am so sorry, I should have told her to watch where she was going. It won’t happen again.”, Mary Margaret interrupted taking Emma by the shoulders pulling her back a step. Emma could tell by the grip she was holding that Mr. Gold made the teacher just as anxious as she.

“Honestly, Miss Blanchard, it was not a problem. I’ll let you and…I’m sorry I don’t believe I got your name young one.”

“Emma.”, Emma replied, hoping that he would finally let them go.

“Emma.”, he paused a moment, “What a lovely name.”, she noticed a look of clarity seemed to cross his face. “Well…I’ll let you and Miss Blanchard be on your way. Don’t want to take up anymore of your time. Have a nice day.” With a nod of his head he was on his way. Emma kept her eye on him as he continued down the street. She noticed he walked with a limp that was aided only by his cane. Her attention was brought back when she felt a hand on her back moving her forward.

“That guy gave me the creeps.”, she mumbled.

“You aren’t the only one. Everyone around here tries to avoid him as much as possible. He practically owns the town.”

“How did that happen?”, Emma looked up at the teacher.

“I don’t know, it’s just been like that for as long as I can remember.”, she shrugged. Glancing up her smile returned, “We’re here!”

Emma realized they were at a small shop. She walked in the door with Mary Margret and followed the older woman to the junior’s section. It didn’t matter how many times Emma swore that she didn’t need that shirt, those jeans, or even that black three in one ski coat, Mary Margret was not hearing it. Even if Emma decided to go back to Boston, she insisted that she would still need clothes. In the end, they left with new shirts (both long and short), two new pairs of jeans, a couple nice sweaters, a pair of sweat pants, two sets of pajamas (at Mary Margaret’s insistence that every girl needed some comfy pjs), socks, and the coat.

On the way back to the loft, they stopped by the diner for some lunch. To their surprise, Ruby had already learned of Mary Margret’s offer for Emma to stay with her. It seemed that Sheriff Graham had a bit of loose lips when he stopped for his morning coffee. “We aren’t even sure that it’s a for sure thing if Emma says yes, Ruby.”, Mary Margret tried to temper the waitress’ excitement.

“If you ask me, I think it’s a great idea. Mary Margret needs a little excitement in her life.”, she winked at Emma who giggled.

They finished their lunch and headed back towards the loft. The rest of the day was spent lounging about, Mary Margret graded papers while Emma tried to read her book on the couch. Wanting to be sure the teacher didn’t notice her struggling to read, she made sure to angle herself so her back was to her. She still hadn’t made up her mind if she wanted to stay in Storybrooke or not. However, she would be lying if she was to say she didn’t enjoy the bit of domesticity she was getting from staying here. Just the idea of lazing about the house on a Sunday, not having to worry about when her next meal was, and feeling content was enough to make her really consider it. What kid in her right mind wouldn’t want that?

“Good book?”

Emma jumped, eyes wide, and laid her open book on her chest before looking up. “Mhmm.”

“Percy Jackson? That’s a great one, it’s a favorite with some of the kids in my class.”

“I like it.”, Emma offered simply. In all honesty, she loved this book. She was more than halfway through it but it was one of the few books that she didn’t get frustrated with trying to read. Not too mention, she could relate with Percy and his dyslexia to an extent. As much as she loved stories, sometimes, it would just become too much. She did luck out once, at one of her previous schools, one of the few teachers who had taken an interest in her had noticed her reading struggles. Mrs. Avey, her third grade teacher, had held her back at recess and asked her to help her take books back to the library. Not wanting to argue, she had agreed to help. The teacher had then taken her to a part of the library she had never been to before and showed her the audio books. “I’ll give you one of the class tape players, that way, you can follow along in the book while the narrator reads.” That was how Emma had been introduced to the Harry Potter series.

After that, Emma started to enjoy reading more. Unfortunately for her, when she had found the Percy Jackson book at the group home, there wasn’t an audio book to accompany it, so she was on her own. Maybe she was more like Percy than she thought. Maybe she was some demigod who had yet to come into her powers and that’s why she had the reading issues. ‘Ya let’s go with that’, she thought.

“I have dinner ready, if you’d like to join me.”, Mary Margret smiled down at her and nodded her head towards the table. Emma gave a small smile in return, marked her book, left it on the coffee table, and went to the table.

The rest of the night was as easy as the day had been. When dinner was over, Emma had helped Mary Margret with the dishes, younger drying while older washed. After that, she excused herself to take a shower and changed into a pair of her new pajamas. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a proper pair of pajamas, especially ones this soft. The bottoms were a blue and black flannel pattern and her top, a soft thermal white long sleeve top. Just warm enough to fight off the nip from the air but breathable enough she wouldn’t die of heat stroke in the middle of the night. Making her way out of the bathroom, she headed back to the couch but noticed the teacher had been busy while she was in the shower.

On the coffee table was a bowl of popcorn and two mugs of hot cocoa topped with, of course, cinnamon. The couch was now covered in pillows and quilts from the trunk in Mary Margret’s room. “Oh good you’re done!”, Emma turned her attention to see the older woman sitting on the floor next to the tv with a box of movies in her lap. Noticing Emma’s confusion, she smiled and patted the spot on the floor next to her, inviting the girl to join her. “I thought you might be up for a movie night.”

“A movie night.”, Emma gave her a suspicious grin.

“Ya! Why not?”

“That could be fun I guess.”

Mary Margret’s smile grew ten times bigger, “I don’t have a lot of options but you can pick whatever sounds best.”, she handed the box of movies over to Emma.

Looking through, Emma noticed most of the movies were older, not many were from this decade, but that didn’t put her off. After a few minutes, Emma finally decided on a title, “This one.”

Mary Margret looked over her shoulder, “The Princess Bride?”

“Do you not like it?”, Emma asked with a bit of worry.

“No it's not that, I love this movie. I just forgot I had it.”, Mary Margret narrowed her eyes taking the box of movies back. “Actually,” she paused, “I forgot I had most of these. Guess I haven’t had much time for movies lately.” Shrugging it off, she took the movie from Emma and set it up. The two made their way to the couch, each taking an end, and watched as the little boy waited for his grandfather to begin the story. As they watched, they kept the popcorn between them, and polished off their cocoas by the time Miracle Max explained that Wesley was only, “mostly dead.” As much as Emma loved this movie, by the end she was losing the fight to keep her eyes open.

“I think it’s time for bed.”, she heard Mary Margret’s soft voice suggest.

“I’m not tired.”, she groggily tried to argue.

“Tell that to your eyes.”, Mary Margret stood from the couch and placed the popcorn bowl on the table. Turning she reached a hand out to Emma, “Come on, brush your teeth then off to bed.”

“Fine.”, Emma playfully huffed taking the teacher’s hand. She felt a slight tickle run through her arm as Mary Margret pulled her to her feet, sending her off to brush her teeth, but she ignored it. When finished in the bathroom, she made her way to the stairs.

“I’ll be up to say goodnight in a minute.”, Mary Margret called from the kitchen.

Emma’s stomach did a flip, “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”, she smiled.

“Oh, ok.”, Emma smiled back and went up to the loft.

True to her word, Mary Margret was up the stairs a few minutes later with one of the quilts from the couch in her arms. “It’s supposed to be a little chilly tonight, I thought you might want some extra warmth.” She laid the quilt at the end of the bed. “Is there anything else you might need?”

“No, I think I’m good.”, Emma wasn’t sure what to say, she wasn’t used to someone coming to say good night to her, let alone think to bring her an extra blanket just because it might be a little cold out. The whole day was more than Emma had ever had before.

“Well, goodnight Emma.”, Mary Margret smiled. She leaned over and turned off the lamp on her bedside table and went to leave.

“Mary Margret?”, Emma hesitantly asked for the woman’s attention.

“Yes?”, she turned just before the door.

“Um…I…I think um”, Emma mumbled looking down at her hands.

“Emma?”

Taking a breath, she couldn’t believe what she was about to say. She looked back up, “I want to stay.”

She heard Mary Margret release a breath and was barely able to make out her shifting her feet in the dark. She only noticed her smile when she came into the sliver of light from a light post outside. “I’ll call Graham in the morning.” With that she turned to head back down the stairs, “Sweet dreams”, she called before closing the door.

“Goodnight.”, Emma called back, laying back down in bed. Her stomach was doing flips and her heart was beating a million beats a second. Still, she tried not to get her hopes up, they still had to talk to her case worker and there weren’t any guarantees. But still, the idea that Emma might have a home, might actually have someplace where she felt safe, was too much for her not to be excited about.


	9. Chapter 9

Sheriff Graham had been more than happy to put the call into Boston CPS after speaking with Mary Margret. She told Emma that he would be on it as soon as he got to the office that Sunday morning. Emma, ever the pessimist, was still holding her breath, knowing anything could go wrong. Mary Margret wasn’t exactly a licensed foster parent so it might take a lot of persuasion on the part of Graham to make her living with the woman a reality. Until Graham could get a hold of anyone in Boston, all they could do was wait. Emma was anything but patient. She had spent the entire morning in a nervous state, sitting on the couch, chewing her nail and looking back at Mary Margret’s phone every few minutes. The nervous feeling evolved into full blown anxiety. Chewing her nails had become pacing the bottom floor of the loft and staring at the phone became grumbles of displeasure every minute it didn’t ring.

Mary Margret could tell the girl was getting irritable. She may not have known Emma long but she could see the girl was at the end of her rope. After Emma picked up the teacher’s phone for the hundredth time that hour she decided to make an executive decision. Standing from the couch she clapped her hands to get Emma’s attention, “All right, get your coat, we’re going out.”

“What? Why?”, Emma snapped her her head to look up at Mary Margret.

“Because you need a distraction.”, she insisted.

“No I don’t! I’m fine.”, the girl narrowed her eyes.

“And I’m the Queen of England." Mary Margret deadpanned. "Come on we’re going.”, she reached her hand out for Emma to take so she could pull her to her feet.

Emma ignored the outstretched hand and crossed her arms giving Mary Margret a defiant look, “What if Sheriff Graham calls? We might miss it!”

“Then he’ll call my cell phone, Emma, please.”, Mary Margret took a breath and squatted down to the girl’s level. Resting her hands on the blonde’s knees she continued, “You need to relax. Staring at the phone is not going to make it ring any sooner.” Her voice was gentle and soothing even as Emma refused to look at her. “How about we make a deal.”, her eyebrows raised up while she moved her face to be in Emma’s line of sight.

“What kind of deal?”, Emma was intrigued.

“You come with me to get some ice cream, we talk about anything but Graham and Boston for one hour, or nothing at all, and when we get back you can sit and wait to your hearts content for that phone to ring.”

Emma considered the offer for a minute then sighed, “Just one hour?”

“One hour.”, Mary Margret confirmed.

“Fine.”, Emma huffed standing to her feet.

They both headed to the door, grabbing shoes and coats, then made their way down the stairs and out to the street. Neither saying a word, they walked in comfortable silence to the _Any Given Sundae_ ice cream shop. Getting their cones to go, the two made their way to the harbor and sat on a bench to watch the ships come in. Mary Margret made quick and efficient work of her strawberry cheesecake while Emma was a bit more of a mess with her forbidden fudge brownie. Glancing over, Mary Margret couldn’t hold back her giggle when she noticed the girl had more on her nose than she did in her mouth. “Come here,” she laughed grabbing a napkin and leaning over. “I thought you were thirteen going on fourteen not five.”, she wiped the chocolate off her nose and handed a few more napkins to Emma to keep the melting ice cream off her hands.

Emma shrugged, “It’s melting so fast I have to be quick! Sometimes my nose gets in the way.”

“Ya, well next time you’re getting a cup.”, she smirked while Emma stuck out her tongue. She lightly shoved the girls shoulder eliciting an actual giggle from her before she looked at her watch. “It’s been an hour, are you ready to head back?”

“Can we stay here a little longer?”, Emma asked as she watched a fishing boat come to dock.

“Of course, we can do whatever you want Emma.”

Emma was happy to stay by the water for as long as she could, that week she had been hiding out during school hours, she would often come here. It never mattered where she was, if she was near a body of water she was calm. However, that peace would not last much longer for her. When Mary Margret’s phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her seat. She felt like she was going to be sick when the teacher answered her phone, purposely saying hello to Graham so Emma knew who it was on the other end.

“What do you mean?”, Mary Margret asked. She looked over at Emma and gave a small smile before putting a finger in the air and walking a few feet away so she could talk more privately. That was never a good sign. If the Sheriff had good news for them, Mary Margret would have stayed on the bench and the call wouldn’t be taking nearly as long as it was. Any bit of hope that Emma may have had was now squashed as she watched Mary Margret end the call and take a few deep breaths before walking back to her.

“Let me guess…I’m going back to Boston.”

“Graham said that something came up. That he did get a hold of your social worker and she seemed to be open to the idea.”, Mary Margret explained softly.

“So what went wrong?”, her voice was beginning to shake.

“It seems,”, the teacher began and sighed, “that the Mayor was informed of the situation and she has put a stay on my request to foster you.”

“The Mayor! You mean Henry’s mom? Why would she care if I stay with you or not?!”, Emma was livid on top of confused now. What had she done to Henry’s mom to make her do this!

“She says that I don’t have the means to take care of you. That my being single and a teacher is not a stable enough environment for you.”, Mary Margret shook her head. “To be honest Emma, the mayor has never been a fan of mine. Especially after I gave that book to Henry. She blames me for him believing in those fairy tales.”

“All of this because you gave a kid a book! That’s not fair!”, Emma was near tears now.

Mary Margret was at her side in an instant, pulling the girl in to her arms. Emma let her head fall to the woman’s shoulder as she cried. She never let anyone see her like this but right now she didn’t care. Yet again, another adult who thought they knew better was deciding her future and she had no control. “We’ll figure this out Emma, I promise. They haven’t said no yet.” Mary Margret tried to soothe her.

“You can’t promise that.”, she said through her sobs. So they just sat there, Mary Margret holding onto Emma while she let all the pent-up anxiety of what could happen finally flow.

“Let’s go home.”, Mary Margret whispered after they had sat there for some time. The wind started to pick up and Emma was beginning to shiver. The two stood and made the trek back to the apartment. When they arrived, Emma asked if she could have some time to herself in her room. Mary Margret hesitantly agreed.

That night, while Emma was laying on her bed with her baby blanket cuddled to her chest, she heard a knock at the door. Her heart sank, her thoughts immediately thinking social services had come to pick her up. She sank deeper into her pillows and tried not to cry. Her eyes were already red and raw from the past few hours. She heard Mary Margret open the door and then the faint sound of voices coming up to the loft. Oddly though, it sounded as if Mary Margret was more surprised than alarmed. Curiosity got the better of her as she dropped her blanket to the bed and slowly climbed out. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she tip-toed to her door at the top of the stairs and slid down to the floor while gradually opening it. She looked down the steps and was startled to see Mr. Gold sitting at the dining room table while Mary Margret was in the kitchen putting the kettle on.

“You have a lovely home Miss Blanchard.”, the man complimented while the teacher grabbed two cups and tea bags from the cupboards.

“Thank you, Mr. Gold.”, Mary Margret didn’t sound very confident, but Emma could tell she was trying. She still didn’t understand why the man was there in the first place. Of all the people in the town Emma would have guessed to be at the door, Mr. Gold was surely the last. The tea kettle began to whistle and Mary Margret took it off the burner. She brought it to the cups and poured enough for the two adults. Emma noticed Mr. Gold turn in her direction just as she was able to dart out of view. Steadying her breathing, she waited a moment before looking back out the door. Mary Margret was setting his tea down as he said a thank you. “Mr. Gold, I’m still not clear on why you’re here.”

“I was made aware of your current predicament in procuring guardianship of Miss Swan.”, he answered coolly.

Mary Margret spluttered her sip of tea, “You were?”, she asked trying to regain her composure. “How?”

“Word travels fast in this town Dearie.”

“Of course it does”, Mary Margret mumbled. “I still don’t understand why that brought you here.”

“I have some experience with Child Services in my past. I helped someone in town procure a child near ten years ago.”

“Henry.”, Mary Margret breathed out.

“Henry’s adopted!”, Emma whispered before she could cover her mouth. ‘Why didn’t he tell me!’, she thought.

“Yes, our Mayor at one time sought me out for assistance.”

“So why would she try to get in the way of Emma finding a home. What could I or Emma have possibly done to her to make her want to take away a thirteen-year olds chance at a good life?”, Emma could hear the frustration in Mary Margret’s voice.

“The Mayor is a spiteful woman. She is wronged easily and not one to offer forgiveness.”

“Again I ask Mr. Gold, why are you here then.”

“I’m here to offer my help.”, he answered simply.

“You…want to help me? At the risk of sounding redundant, why?”

“Let’s just say I’m invested in your future,” He looked up at the stairs. This time Emma didn’t look away. “Both of you.”

Mary Margret seemed to think his offer over for a minute. “What’s your price? Everyone here knows you don’t do anything for free.”

“I’m sure one day soon you and Emma will find a way to repay me but for now, let me help you give Miss Swan the home she deserves.”, he had returned his attention back to Mary Margret.

Emma could tell the man was telling the truth, her superpower for knowing when adults were lying was telling her as much. Still, she couldn’t understand why. Her legs had begun to fall asleep from sitting in the awkward position on the floor. When she tried to adjust them, she accidentally kicked the door, alerting Mary Margret to her presence. Closing her eyes, she waited.

“Emma?”, Mary Margret’s tone was not angry or irritated, “I know you’re listening.”, she called up.

Sighing, Emma stood and made her way down the stairs, making sure to keep as much distance from Mr. Gold as possible. Mary Margret held out her hand to her and pulled her onto her lap. It was almost as if she could sense Emma’s unease with the man currently sitting at the table. With the teacher’s arms wrapped around her waist, she mustered up the courage to ask Mr. Gold if he really thought he could help them. Her merely nodded his head. Looking back at Mary Margret, she gave the woman a cautious smile. What did they have to lose? If he could help, then Emma would get to stay. If not, then they were in the same boat they were in now.

Mary Margret took a breath, still looking into the girl's eyes, and pushed a piece of Emma’s hair behind her ear. At her touch, the same flash of light from the other night crossed Emma’s mind. This time, she saw the same blurry image of what looked like a woman looking down at her, but this time she was able to hear some of her distorted words, “her best chance…” Before she could understand more, she was brought back from it, Mary Margret none the wiser as she was looking at Mr. Gold. Shaking her head of the strange image, she turned her head in the direction of the man, and is startled when she sees him staring back. His smile has turned up a bit as he continues to look at her until Mary Margret catches his attention.

“Alright Mr. Gold, we will take whatever help you can give us.”

“Excellent, I’ll get started right away.”, the man wastes no time and takes his leave. Emma can feel Mary Margret’s arms tighten around her. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, she thought watching Mr. Gold leave the apartment without another word.

Later on, after saying her goodnight to Mary Margret, Emma lie awake in her bed contemplating why she kept seeing the flash and image in her mind. The first time there had been a headache that accompanied it but not this time. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her because there was no other way to explain what was happening to her. She couldn’t tell Mary Margret as that was sure to be a one way ticket to the shrink in town. It was just one of the many questions she needed answered. Like why Henry hadn’t told her he was adopted and why did his mom have it out for her and Mary Margret? Mr. Gold was another question all together. Why was this man, who everyone in town seemed to fear, so eager to help them? She wanted answers and she wanted them now.


	10. Chapter 10

Emma had lost any bit of hope she had after Mr. Gold had left that night. After taking his leave, the shady shop keeper had been near radio silent. Sheriff Graham had managed to gain them another day to stall but Tuesday morning had come faster than Emma wanted anyway. Now she was standing outside the Sheriff’s station, he backpack full of her old and new belongings on her shoulder, and tears beginning to seep out of her eyes. Mary Margret had been repeatedly calling Mr. Gold, trying to alert the man to seriousness of their situation. Emma knew it was a lost cause, she wasn’t sure why she ever trusted that the man would be able to help them. Keeping her eyes anywhere but the teacher, she tried to tell herself that it would be ok. She would go back to Boston, be placed in another group home, and she would find another way to run away. Only this time, she would be more careful to not make friends or trust anyone. Getting close to people always ended in pain. People, or Emma, always left.

She looked up from the spot on the sidewalk when she heard Mary Margret sigh and slam her flip phone shut. The brunette paced, rubbing her temples. Emma could see the frustration and possibly fear coming off her. In the two days since talking to Mr. Gold, Mary Margret had tried everything she could think of to get Child Services to sway her direction. She had called local lawyers who were not much help, Mitchell Herman claiming he dealt more in business law and Mr. Spence wanting nothing to do with the teacher or her gamin child. That wasn’t to others in the town were not willing to help. Granny had written a letter to Boston boasting what a great guardian the teacher would be and Ruby had put together a petition trying to get local townspeople to sign in support of her friend. However, it seemed their actions had fallen on deaf ears. Sheriff Graham had called the night before, instructing Mary Margret to bring Emma to the station first thing in the morning and that he would be driving her back to Boston himself, at the request of the Mayor.

Mary Margret looked up at Emma with sad eyes and made her way over to the girl. Emma didn’t want to look at her, if she did, she knew she would cry. As much as she hated to admit, she had let this woman crack the outer layers of her walls. Not all the way through, she knew better than that, but she was slowly worming her way in. The night before, Emma had laid awake wondering what it was about this kind woman that made her feel so at content in the past few days. Whenever she had been frustrated or in the past twenty-four hours, scared, her voice alone was enough to soothe her and set her mind at ease. Now Emma was going to have to say goodbye, something she really did not want to do. She could feel the woman getting closer until eventually her shoes came into her vision.

“Emma.”

“No.”, Emma’s voice began to shake.

“Honey, please look at me.”, Mary Margret pleaded.

“I can’t. If I do you’re going to tell me I have to get in the car and I’m not ready to do that.”

Mary Margret put her thumb and finger to Emma’s chin, lifting it so she was able to see into her green eyes. “Emma, we tried everything. I promise, I will keep trying for as long as I can but right now, we have to do what they say.”

“Glad to see you’ve come to your senses Mary Margret.”, Emma and the teacher but looked up at the cold voice behind them. It seemed the Mayor had come to make sure Graham did his job. Behind her, Emma could see Henry who couldn’t even look at her. He looked like he had been crying as well. “Sheriff Graham, I believe it is time for you and Miss Swan to get on the road.”, she looked back at Emma with a smirk, “Wouldn’t want to hit traffic.” Emma glared back at her.

“At least let me say goodbye Mayor Mills.”, Mary Margret stood her ground, there was no ask in her tone.

“Make it quick. The Sheriff is working on tax payer dollars after all.”

Mary Margret turned back to Emma and took the girl into her arms. “Please don’t let them take me back.”, Emma cried into the woman’s chest.

“I’m so sorry Emma.”, Mary Margret had begun to cry as well. She held the girl for as long as possible, her grip tightening as the seconds passed by. Emma felt it before anything else, the flash in her eyes and then the blurry image. The same image she had seen in previous nights since she started spending time with Mary Margret. Images she could not explain but felt familiar. _“Goodbye Emma.”_ , she head before the feeling of being whisked away came over her. Coming back into her own thoughts, she felt Mary Margret place a kiss to the top of her head and then pull away. Emma felt a strong hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Graham, an apologetic look in his eyes. He guided her to the cruiser and let her slide in before closing the door. She looked back and saw Mary Margret, tears falling from her eyes and her arms wrapped around her middle. Henry was now standing beside her looking just as sad. She slowly waved at her new friend, just like she did with all the kids she came to know before being whisked away to a new home. Finally, she looked at the Mayor, a look of pride and accomplishment on her face. Like inflicting this kind of pain on Emma and Mary Margret was the sweetest victory she had ever tasted.

Just as Sheriff Graham opened his door to the cruiser, she noticed everyone’s attentions turn. Curious as to why, Emma rotated in her seat and sat on her heels to look out the back window. To her utter shock, she saw Mr. Gold standing with Mary Margret, a paper in his hand, and looking at the Mayor with a smug smile. What was even more surprising was Graham going over to the adults and taking the paper from his elder. Looking the document over, his eyes snapped up to Mary Margret’s with a genuine smile. He passed the paper to the Mayor who looked, well pissed to say the least, and then walked back towards her, opening the door.

“Well Miss Swan, it seems we won’t be making out trip to Boston after all.” Looking from the Sheriff to Mary Margret who was beaming at her.

“You mean, I get to stay?”, Emma dared to ask. The Sheriff merely nodded and motioned for her to exit the vehicle.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, she ran towards Mary Margret, crashing into the woman’s arms, squeezing as if her life depended on it. Henry had joined the hug too. Although only for a minute as his mother, still writhing from the sudden loss of triumph, had grabbed his hand, and drug him back to the car. She would be sure to find him later on and make sure he was ok. For now though, she wanted to know how this was even possible. “How?”, she asked, looking up at Mary Margret.

“Like I said Miss Swan, I have connections.”, Mr. Gold stated. “I apologize for the dramatics but I only recently received the fax. Mary Margret has been granted full guardianship of you.”

“I still don’t understand.”, Mary Margret spoke up with a broken voice.

“Never mind the how, Dearie. Just know that no one, not even the Mayor, will be coming to take Emma away from you. As long as she is happy that is.”

“Thank you, Mr. Gold.”, Emma said still holding onto Mary Margret.

“Yes, thank you.” Mary Margret agreed.

“My pleasure. I look forward to seeing Miss Swan…come into her own…under your care, Miss Blanchard.” And with that he turned back up the street.

“Let’s go home.”, Mary Margret let the girl go and reached down for her hand.

“Home.”, Emma sighed, for the first time in thirteen years, it seemed she would have a home.

The two walked down the street, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by two sets of conspiring eyes. One who’s plan was coming to fruition much sooner than anticipated and one who’s curse was beginning to weaken.


	11. Chapter 11

“Emma! You have ten minutes to get down here and eat before we’re officially running late!”

Emma groaned as she rolled over in her bed, throwing the blankets off her body. Mary Margret had already been up twice that morning, first to kindly wake her up and the second to remind her she wouldn’t want to be late for her first day of school, a little less kindness and a lot more insistence for cooperation that time. From the tone the teacher was using now, Emma was pushing the limits of her patience. In her defense, she was not particularly excited about her first day of school. Never having much of a positive experience with the institution, Emma found little joy in going to another new school, with new kids to deal with, and new teachers to disappoint. Not to mention she was in junior high now, every teenage girl who struggled to fit ins nightmare. Ya, no, she was in no hurry to go to that place.

“Eight minutes!”, Mary Margret yelled from below.

Sighing, Emma got to her feet and walked to her wardrobe. Mary Margret had ironed and hung up her new uniform the night before. That was another thing she was not looking forward to. The white polo, navy blue sweater, plaid skirt, and knee high socks were not what Emma would consider comfortable by any means. Especially to a girl who detested skirts and dresses. Why she couldn’t just wear her plaid shirt, jeans, and high tops was beyond her. She would just have to suck it up and wear it. It was only seven hours of her day…or at least that’s what she would keep telling herself.

Dressed for the day, she ran a brush through her unruly hair, having opted to wear it down, before heading down the stairs. Mary Margret was no where in sight but she noticed a bowl of brown sugar oat meal and toast waiting for her on the island. She could hear the older woman moving quickly about in the bathroom so she figured it was probably best if she ate with an intent so as not to get on her bad side. Her thoughts were confirmed when Mary Margret rushed back out to the kitchen.

“Oh good, you’re eating. Think you’ll be ready to go in…”, she looked at the clock swiftly then back at Emma, “…three minutes?”

“Yup.”, Emma answered with a mouthful of oatmeal, earning a ‘look’ in return. “Sorry.”, she said after swallowing.

“Mhmm”, Mary Margret turned towards the coffee maker, filling up her thermos to take with her to school. Closing the top, she looked at the clock one last time, “Times up kiddo, we need to get moving.” Emma shoveled three last bites into her mouth, swallowed quickly, chased it with a swig of her orange juice, and wrapped her toast up in her napkin to take with her. Darting around the island, she dumped her bowl and glass into the sink and ran for the door. Mary Margret was waiting for her with her jacket and bookbag. The two ran down the stairs and to the car, taking off for the school with not a minute to spare.

As Mary Margret pulled into her parking spot, Emma stared out the window at the building and people around it. She could see kids of different ages getting off the bus, locking up their bikes on the rack, and some being dropped off by their parents. They would run off to meet up with their friends on the playground or wait on the steps for the bell to ring and let them into the building for the day. Mary Margret had jumped out of the car and was reaching in the back seat for her bag. She came back to the front to grab her coffee but paused for a moment, noticing Emma still sitting in her seat.

“You coming?”

“I don’t want to do this.”, Emma shook her head.

“It’s going to be ok Em.”, Emma looked up at her with skeptical eyes, “I promise.”, the teacher gave her best smile.

Knowing she had no other choice, Emma left the safety of the car. Pulling at her skirt to make sure it was still in place, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked to Mary Margret’s side.

“Do you want to come with me to my room or would you like to wait outside with the other kids?”

“I don’t think being walked into school by my foster mom on my first day would be good for my reputation.”, Emma smirked.

“Ya, probably right. Wouldn’t want to be in the hole on cool points before you even get started.”, Mary Margret deadpanned.

“Glad we have an understanding.”, Emma stuck her tongue out.

Before Mary Margret could respond, a familiar voice cut her off, “Emma!” The two looked over to see Henry running up to them.

“Hey Henry!”, Emma smiled upon seeing her friend. At least there was one familiar face in this sea of strangers. In fact, it was the first time she had seen the kid since the whole mess at the sheriff station. It almost felt like his mom had him on lock down or something. Emma was definitely happy to see him today.

“I was hoping I’d see you before school started! Are you excited?”

“Ecstatic”, Emma mumbled while rolling her eyes.

Mary Margret put her arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Emma here is a bit nervous about her first day.”

“Am not!”, Emma scoffed.

“If you say so.”, she winked at Henry, “I’m going to head to my classroom. Henry I’ll see you in a few minutes. Em,”, Mary Margret turned to her foster daughter, “have a great first day. I put some lunch money in your bag. Make sure you come to my room after school.”, the woman gave her a pat on the shoulder with a kind smile before heading into the building.

“So did the warden let you out for good behavior? Or is this more like yard time?”, Emma joked.

Henry shrugged, “Eh, I think she’s starting to come around.”

The bell rang a few minutes later and the two friends walked into the building. Looking around, Emma tried to remember the directions Mary Margret had given her the night before to the junior high hallway. Being a small school, the entire kindergarten through senior class went to the same building. The high school students started an hour earlier but everyone else came and went at the same time. “Do you know where you’re going?”, Henry quietly asked his friend so as not to embarrass her.

“Of course.”, Emma gave him a look ‘please’. The boy seemed to see right through her when she noticed he had yet to move. “Ok fine, no.”, she relented with a huff.

“Follow me.”, he grinned before starting up the stairs.

The arrived a few minutes later to Emma’s home room class. Making sure to tell Henry thank you, she then walked into the room. Some kids were already at their seats, some sat on top of their desks, while others were standing by other student’s desks. A few kids looked to be rushing through homework they had neglected to finish the night before. One girl sat back in her seat with her headphones in while a boy played on his GameBoy. Scanning the room, she found an open seat off to the side, not quite in the back but close enough she might be able to go unnoticed. Sitting down, she placed her backpack on the ground and pulled out a notebook and pencil. She was hoping this homeroom was like others she had experienced where the teacher would take roll, make a few announcements, and then let them go about their business until the bell rang for first period.

She had been doodling in her book for a few minutes, completely oblivious to the noise around her, when a small voice cut through her thoughts. “Are you…Emma?” The blonde looked up at a girl with darker blonde hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and a kind smile. She didn’t look to be anything to be intimidated by. How she knew Emma’s name was beyond her, but she was learning quick that any news worth telling traveled fast in this small town. Surely a runaway orphan taken in by a local teacher was enough to get the hens clucking.

“That’s me.”, Emma answered with a small smile.

“I’m Paige.”, she stated while taking the empty desk next to Emma, “I’m guessing today is your first day?”

“What gave me away?”

“Other than the fact you’re the first new person in forever?”, she giggled.

“So I’m pretty much doomed, huh?”

“Probably.”, Paige smirked.

About that time, the homeroom teacher, Miss Pond, brought the class to attention with a clearing of her throat. All eyes snapped to attention, including Emma and Paige. Her announcements were short, but so was homeroom, not much time for anything else before the children were rushing off to their first class of the day. Paige, it turned out, shared a number of classes with Emma. Being that the entire seventh grade could have fit into three rooms, the chances weren’t as outrageous as Emma would have imagined. Throughout the day, Paige was kind enough to introduce her to a few other kids. Ava, another blonde girl with a bit of an attitude was nice enough but Emma wasn’t a big fan. Tom, a smaller boy with dark brown hair, was a kid who enjoyed BMX and other extreme sports. Though, his parents weren’t a fan of his adventurous escapades. Although his name would suggest otherwise, Zaffre, Tom’s best friend, did not like the color blue. He lived on a farm just outside of town and had a knack for falling asleep in class.

All in all, Emma had a great first day. The teachers seemed kind, each one making a point to introduce themselves to her and ensure that if she needed any help catching up on her assignments to let them know. At lunch, she sat with Paige and the other kids. The lunches were delicious. Chowing down on her chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, she laughed at Zaffre and Tom while they imitated a walrus with the extra straws they had grabbed. She wasn’t even embarrassed when Mary Margret stopped by to ask how her day was going before leading her class back to their room. No for once, Emma Swan was happy to be at school.

At the end of the day, she made her way to the fourth-grade hallway and Mary Margret’s room. Upon entering, she noted that Henry and a few of his classmates her sill there. They had several art and craft supplies spread out at a table and were chatting amongst themselves. Mary Margret was talking to one of her students until noticed Emma’s arrival. She smiled and met the girl at her desk.

“Am I early?”, Emma asked in confusion.

“Oh no, you’re right on time. We’re just finishing up and then we’ll all be ready to go!”

“We?”, Emma furrowed her brow.

“Ya!”, the teacher smiled and gestured to the fourth graders, “I run an after-school club that takes cards and decorations to the local hospital once a month.”

“Soooo, did I miss the part where I signed up?”

“Well…I mean…you don’t have to come if you don’t want.”, the teacher shrugged with a look of disappointment.

“Mary Margret…I mean Miss Blanchard…,” Emma caught herself, “I’ll come with you. It could be fun.”, she smiled when the teacher’s frown turned upside down.

“Great! Why don’t you sit with Henry, he’ll show you what to do.”, Mary Margret ushered the teen to the table with the other kids. Emma took her seat and reached for a white piece of construction paper and a pack of markers. She felt Mary Margret’s hands on her shoulder and then the woman leaning down to her ear. “School is out for the day Em, you can call me Mary Margret.” Emma turned her head and met the woman’s soft eyes with her own confused ones. “If you want…that is.”, she smiled before walking back to her desk, leaving Emma and the other children to their work.

“Want some glitter?”, a girl sitting across from Emma got her attention. She had a mischievous grin on her face that the blonde found endearing.

“Are you kidding?”, Emma had an equally devious smile as she reached for the bottle of glue and glitter the girl was offering, “If the question is glitter, the answer is yes!”


	12. Chapter 12

Volunteering with Ms. Blanchard and her class wasn’t as bad as Emma would have thought. Not being a big fan of doctors or hospitals, she was a little nervous at first. However, after speaking with some of the patients and hanging up some of the pictures that she and they other kids had made, she finally began to relax. Walking between the beds, she noticed Henry in a separate room, staring at a patient who seemed to be asleep. Deciding to be nosey, Emma made her way to the doorway, pausing a moment to see if anyone else had noticed.

“Uhhh…what you doin?”, she questioned her friend while slowly approaching the bed, hands behind her back, with a questioning look.

“I think I know who this is…but I’m not sure.”, Henry didn’t take his eyes off the man.

“And who do you think he is?”

“You won’t believe me.”, he gave her the look.

“Oh right…the curse.”, this should be good she thought, “Try me.”

“Fine…he’s”

“Henry, Emma, we could really use your help with the decorations.”, the two children turned to see Ms. Blanchard leaning up against the door to the room.

“Is Mr. Doe going to be ok Ms. Blanchard?”, Henry asked his teacher.

“His name’s not John Doe, honey. That’s just what they call people when they don’t know who they are.”

“Do _you_ know who he is?” Emma looked back at Mary Margret in expectation.

“Nope. I just bring him flowers on my rounds.”, she answered while walking towards the bed.

“What’s wrong with him?”, Emma questioned. She was curious as to how this man ended up here.

“I don’t know.”, Ms. Blanchard sighed. “He’s been like this as long as I’ve been volunteering.” Emma narrowed her eyes. That seemed to be Mary Margret’s answer for a lot of things that happened in this town. ‘ _It’s been like that for as long as I can remember.’ ‘I don’t know, it’s all kind of a blur.’_ For someone who had lived in one place for as long as she did, she didn’t seem to know much about the town.

“Does he have any family or friends?”, Henry asked.

Ms. Blanchard shook her head, “No one’s claimed him.”

“So, he’s all alone.”, Henry looked back to her.

“Ya.”, she answered sadly nodding her head. “It’s quite sad.”

Henry frowned, looking back towards the man again, “You _sure_ you don’t know him?”, he asked with a sly grin.

“Of course I’m sure”, Ms. Blanchard gave a slight laugh, “Come on, you two shouldn’t be in here.” She nodded her head towards the door, prompting Henry and Emma to leave the room and finish up with the decorations.

“Emma?”

“What’s up?”, Emma answered while hanging upside down from one of the landings on their castle.

“I need to tell you a secret.”, Henry sighed.

Flipping down to the ground, Emma sat down next to her friend. “Ok.”

“But you have to promise you won’t think I’m crazy and you can’t, no matter what, tell anyone.”

Emma laughed at her friend’s serious expression. “Ya, ok I promise.”

“I mean it!” Henry was obviously not amused.

“Fine, jeez, I won’t make fun of you.” Emma put her hands up in surrender.

“Or…”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Or think you’re crazy. Now come on, spit it out.”

Henry pulled his book from his backpack and sat it on his lap. “This book, is a very special book.”, he started

“Because all the stories are different than the originals.”

“Let me finish.”

“Sorry.” Emma got more comfortable on her seat and made sure to really listen to the boy next to her.

“All these stories are special…because…” Henry took a breath before continuing,”…because they really happened.”

“Okaaaayyy.” That was not what she was expecting.

“Everyone in this town is a character in the book.”

“Mhmm.” That was _definitely_ not what she was expecting.

Henry growled under his breath. “See I knew you weren’t ready! You think I’m crazy!”

“No! Henry I don’t think you’re crazy. It’s just…not…what I was expecting you to say. I thought you were going to tell me you don’t like hot chocolate or you think the Yankees are better than the Red Sox! I didn’t think you were going to try and tell me that all the people we know are fairytale characters.”

“It’s true!” Emma was trying not to believe him but her superpower was going crazy. The look on her friend’s face told her he honestly believed that he was right.

“Ok, ok…”, she put her hand on his shoulder. “If this is true, and I’m not saying it is or isn’t. Then who is who? How did they get here?”

“You really want to know?”, he asked with scrutiny.

“Yes, I really want to know.”

Henry thought for another minute before deciding it was probably safe to tell her his theory. “You know the curse that Prince Charming and Snow White were trying to save their baby from?”

Emma thought for a second, trying to recall all the details of the story. “Yes, the Queen cast the Dark Curse to take away all the happy endings. Prince Charming gets the baby to the magic wardrobe and then the story just ends.”

“That’s because the Curse brought them all here, to Storybrooke. It took away all their memories and replaced them with fake ones. That’s why no one can remember anything.”

“What about you? Were you brought over in the Curse?”

“No, I’m not in the book. I was adopted remember?”

She still didn’t believe him. It was impossible for story book characters to be real. The look on his face, how much he believed, she couldn’t hurt him like that. Plus, the story was pretty good, she kinda wanted to hear more. “So, who is who?”

“Well, my mom is the Evil Queen.”, he answered nonchalantly.

Emma laughed, “Ya I can see that!”

“I’ve figured out Dr. Hopper is Jiminy Cricket…”

“Because of the umbrella.” Emma offered.

“Shh, let me finish.”

“Sorry. Continue.”

“I’m pretty sure that pregnant girl, Ashley…”

“Oh Mary Margret’s friend? She’s not pregnant anymore, she had the baby a couple days ago. Wait, who is she? Sleeping Beauty?”

“Emma!”

“I’m sorry! I like guessing games.”

“Can I finish please?”

Emma pretended to zip her lip and waited for him to continue.

“Ashley, is Cinderella and her boyfriend Sean is her Prince.”

Emma raised her hand, wanting to ask a question, but not wanting to interrupt again. Henry laughed a little before asking what her question was. “Prince Charming?”

“No, Prince Thomas. Prince Charming is Snow White’s prince, remember?”

“Oh ya,” Emma smacked her forehead, “wait…who are they? Snow White and Prince Charming!”

“I’m pretty sure John Doe is Prince Charming.”

“What makes you say that?”

Henry flipped the book open to a page that had an illustration of Prince Charming after he and Snow White had met. “See the scar?” He pointed to the place on Charming’s chin where Snow had hit him with a rock after he tackled her off the horse for stealing from his carriage. “He has one too.”

“So,” Emma shrugged, “a lot of people have scars.”

“In the same place?”

“Ok, fine. So who’s Snow White?”

Henry paused a moment, closed his book and started to put it back in his backpack. “I don’t’ think you’re ready.”

“What? Come on! I’ve been cool about everything else. Why can’t I know?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

Henry sighed, it was no or never. He didn’t know if Emma believed him but at least she was listening. Maybe if he told her it would help her to start to believe. “Miss Blanchard.”

“Mary Margret? You think…no…I mean…” Why was this making sense to her? This was crazy. There was no way the teacher was some fairytale princess trapped in another realm because a curse her evil stepmother had cast.

“See. I told you, you aren’t ready.” Henry went to stand up with his bag.

“Henry wait.”

“It’s ok if you don’t believe me. You will.” He smiled at her.

Emma gave him a kind smile back before considering more of his story. “So, if Mary Margret is Snow White and John Doe is her Prince Charming, then where is their baby? Is she here too?”

“Uhhh, ya she’s here.” Henry’s eyes went wide at her question. He knew about her superpower and if he lied she would almost certainly know it.

“Well isn’t she supposed to break the curse? Who is she?”

“That I definitely can’t tell you.” He turned and ran back towards town.

“Henry! Come back here!” she ran after him.

“Emma please, let it go!”, he hollered over his shoulder. He wasn’t fast enough, she caught him before he made it back to Main Street.

“If you won’t tell me, then give me the book.”

“No, you don’t even believe me anyway. Why do you want to know who the baby is so bad?”

“I don’t know! I just do!”

“Fine,” he reached into his bag and handed the story book to Emma, “maybe if you read it for yourself, you’ll believe.”

Emma took the book and watched while her friend headed back up the street. It was getting close to dinner which meant Mary Margret, or Snow White according to Henry, would be expecting her home soon. She tucked the book back into her own backpack and headed towards the loft.


	13. Chapter 13

Emma walked up the stairs to the loft and was immediately met with the sound of music. Confused, she slowly walked up to the door and put her ear against the door. She wasn’t sure what song was playing but it was definitely an upbeat pop song that you would hear on the radio from time to time. What caught her ear, though, was the distorted sound of Mary Margret singing along. Slowly, Emma turned the doorknob taking care to carefully open the door. With any luck, she would catch her foster mom in the act. The music didn’t stop and Mary Margret’s voice became clearer as Emma poked her head around the door. The sight she found was even better than she could have wished for.

Mary Margret had her back turned to Emma while she stirred something on the stove. Taking a sniff, Emma guessed it was spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread. That alone made her stomach growl but was more entertaining was watching the woman dance around in the small kitchen. She still wasn’t sure what the song was but it was obviously a favorite of the brunette’s. Mary Margret had changed out of her school clothes and looked relaxed in her lounge pants and flowy shirt.

Emma hung her jacket and backpack up on her hook by the door and quietly slipped off her shoes all the while keeping an eye on Mary Margret. She tip toed every few seconds, getting closer, and closer. The blonde had to stifle a laugh when Mary Margret tried to hit the high note in the song. _‘How could Henry possibly think this woman was Snow White?’_ Sure, she was kind, gentle, caring, and beautiful like the character she remembered in the movie, although her singing needed some work. The Snow White in the book was tough, brave, cunning, an all-around warrior princess. Ever since Emma had met Mary Margret she had come to know her as a timid, shy, but very sweet woman. Although she could be stern when she needed to. She learned that the hard way when she tried not to eat her peas and carrots at dinner the other night. No, Henry had to be mistaken.

She finally came upon the teacher who still had yet to notice her. She waited until right as the song ended before jumping in front of her. “Boo!” she yelled. Mary Margret jumped with fright, red sauce flying everywhere splattering over them both, and the older woman giving a yelp in surprise. Emma couldn’t help but crack up from her reaction.

“Emma!” Mary Margret held her hand over her heart. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Emma laughed, “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.” She tried to catch her breath.

“You couldn’t resist? I find that highly unlikely!”

“You know, for a teacher, you’ve got some real moves Mary Margret.” Emma continued to laugh. Especially when said woman gasped and proceeded to come after her. Emma ducked out of the way and ran to the other side of the counter, bracing herself for Mary Margret’s next move.

“You better watch yourself Emma Swan.” Mary jokingly pointed her wooden sauce spoon at the girl. “I know where you sleep.”

“Oooo I’m so scared!” Emma mocked.

“Is that how you’re going to be?” Mary Margret straightened back up and crossed her arms. “I guess you don’t want any of the brownies I made while you were out with Henry.”

That got Emma’s attention. “Brownies?”

“Mhmm and ice cream”

Emma thought for a moment then decided she didn’t want to lose the upper hand. She shook her head, “I’m good.”

“That’s fine, more for me.” Mary Margret walked over to one of the cabinets. “I wonder if we have any hot fudge. Oh here it is!”

“I’m sorry!” Emma ran over to Mary Margret and wrapped her arms around her waist.

The teacher laughed, “That’s what I thought.” She squeezed Emma back before attempting to turn back to the stove to serve up their spaghetti. However, Emma had yet to let go of her. “Um…Em, honey, you need to let me go if you want to eat.”

“I just want to be extra sure I get those brownies…I mean, you know I’m sorry!” she corrected herself looking up at her foster mom with the biggest eyes she could muster.

“Go change out of your school clothes and wash your hands you little cuddle bug.” Mary Margret gave her one last squeeze before turning Emma towards the stairs. “And no brownie until your homework is done. Don’t try to tell me you don’t have any either, your teachers emailed me your syllabus’!” she made sure to raise her volume the further Emma got up the stairs.

“Ugghhh,” Emma groaned, “What kind of school is this place!”

Later that night, Emma sat in her bed with the nightstand light on while she skimmed through Henry’s story book. She still wasn’t convinced of his theory, but she could understand why he would assign certain characters to people in their lives. His mom was a dead wringer for the Evil Queen, that’s for sure. Sha had just turned to the page where Snow White is about to rob Prince Charming’s carriage. Looking through the illustrations, she took in the Prince’s features. It was odd, he did seem to have the same scar as the coma patient at the hospital. _‘It’s just a weird coincidence.’_ Before she could examine any more, she heard a knock on her door. Looking up she saw Mary Margret, clad in her flannel pajamas, standing at her door with a soft smile. She let out a breath, it didn’t seem the older woman was upset with her for being up past her bedtime.

“Hey, having trouble sleeping?” Mary Margret asked softly as she walked to Emma’s bed.

“I just lost track of time.” Emma offered shrugging her shoulders. She knew it was late, she just didn’t want to sleep until she figured out who Henry thought could possibly be Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter.

“Well, a good book can do that.” Mary Margret sat down on the bed next to Emma. “Is that the book I gave Henry?”

“Ya…he let me borrow it.”

“You know, “Mary Margret slid the book from Emma’s lap to her own while she inspected the page, “I don’t even remember reading this book, let alone owning it.”

“Really?” Emma just chalked it up to yet another thing conveniently missing from Mary Margret’s memory.

“Nope. I found it while I was cleaning out my closet. It was almost like it appeared out of nowhere to be honest.” The woman said before staring at the book. Emma looked up at her when she fell silent and noticed her eyes looked like they were searching for something. Before she could say anything, Mary Margret shook her head and looked over at Emma. “Want me to read one of the stories? Might help you fall asleep.”

“Um…that’s ok, you don’t have to do that.”

“Oh come on, I could use a bedtime story too.” She nudged Emma’s shoulder with her own.

“Alright.” Emma giggled, “But can it be this one? It’s my favorite.”

“Snow White and Prince Charming?”

“Mhmm”, Emma nodded and snuggled down into her bed more.

“Well alright then. Do you mind if I climb in too? It’s a little chilly up here tonight. I’m going to have to get you an extra blanket before I go downstairs.”

Emma scooted over in the bed, lifting the covers so Mary Margret could slide in. “Sure, and I’m fine, really.”

“Emma…” Mary Margret started to argue.

“But if it’ll make you feel better than ok.” Emma smiled.

“Thank you.” Mary Margret wrapped her arm around Emma’s shoulders and pulled her in while she leaned back against the pillows. “Shall we begin?”

Emma nodded while she cuddled into Mary Margret’s side. She was never one to seek affection or physical contact but with Mary Margret it was different. Most of the time she didn’t even realize she was doing it, reaching for a hug, sitting close to her at Granny’s when Henry or Ruby would join them, or even standing close to her when they were out in town and Mary Margret would stop to talk to someone. It felt…dare she say it…natural.

“Snow White waited on her perch for the carriage to come to a stop. She watched as the Prince stepped down and walked over to inspect the fallen tree with his guards, leaving the carriage and it’s treasures inside unattended…” Mary Margret continued to read on, losing herself in the story, before looking down and noticing Emma had fallen asleep at some point. Smiling down, she marked the book before closing it and laying it on the nightstand. Very carefully, she guided Emma down to the mattress, resting the girl’s head against the pillows. She tucked the covers and comforter around the girl, taking care to make sure she left no space for the late night chill to creep in.

Walking over to the wardrobe, she pulled out the extra quilt she stored up here for nights like this. She kept the loft relatively warm, but living in Maine, there would always be a bit of a nip in the air this time of year. She had a feeling it was going to be a cold winter with how the late fall had been. She headed back to the bed where she draped the quilt over Emma. Just as she was reaching to turn off the bedside lamp, she noticed the girl stir. “You didn’t finish the story.” Emma mumbled, her eyes barely open.

“You fell asleep on me.” Mary Margret softly laughed in return. “We’ll finish it tomorrow.”

“Good.”

“Get some rest, you had big day today.” Emma sighed before closing her eyes for good, letting herself succumb to sleep.

Mary Margret smiled softly. Leaning down, she brushed the hair out of Emma’s face and placed a kiss on her temple. “Goodnight sweet girl.” She paused a second to make sure the girl was truly asleep before making her way to the door, leaving it open so any heat would come in, and heading down the stairs to her own bed.


	14. Chapter 14

Emma never saw Henry at school the next day. He was in Mary Margret’s class after all and Emma only went there after school. When she entered the teacher’s room that day, she had every intention of placing Henry’s book in his cubby for him to find the following day. She pulled the leather book out of her backpack, and honestly, she didn’t know how Henry carried this thing around all the time with how heavy it was. She was going to need a chiropractor if she had to much longer. Walking up and down the aisles she looked for Henry’s seat before finally spotting his name on one of the desks. She was about to slide the book into the cubby underneath when a familiar voice caught her attention.

“I thought we were going to finish our story later?” Mary Margret said from the doorway to the classroom. Emma had noticed she wasn’t there when she arrived. Judging by the jacket she was wearing, the teacher must have had bus duty and was just getting back.

“Uh…,” Emma was a bit caught off guard. She didn’t think Mary Margret would remember they hadn’t finished the story. She still needed answers to her own questions, but she didn’t want Henry to think she had stolen his book. “I didn’t want Henry to think I wasn’t bringing it back.” Growing up in group homes, she understood how heartbreaking it was when another child would take something that belonged to you. Just the fact that Henry trusted her with something he held so dear was a big deal for her. She didn’t want to let him down.

“I don’t think Henry would think you stole it if you kept it another night, Em.” The teacher had made her way over to her desk, all the while keeping her eyes locked on Emma’s. “Plus I asked if it’d be ok for us to finish our story first.”, she shrugged nonchalantly.

“You could have led with that.” Emma said with a huff and placing the book back in her backpack. ‘ _I should make her carry this to car.’_ , she thought.

Mary Margret let out a small giggle while she herself gathered some papers to take home with her for the night. “I need to stop at the hospital before we head home, I hope you don’t mind. You can wait in the volunteer lounge and work on some homework while you wait.” She had a look that told Emma she knew going to the hospital two days in a row was not something she would want to do.

“Ok.” Emma sighed, shouldering her backpack and walking towards the door with Mary Margret.

When they arrived at the hospital, Mary Margret signed in and said hello to the desk nurse before walking Emma to the lounge. Once she was sure the girl was comfortable, she left to start her rounds. Emma tried to focus on her homework, but she just couldn’t. While they were in the car, she had started to think about her trip to the hospital the previous day. More importantly, she thought about Henry’s theory about John Doe. He was adamant about the Curse being real and about the coma patient being Prince Charming. While Mary Margret read to her the previous night, she was able to study the pictures with scrutiny. She could, kind of, see the similarities in Snow White and Prince Charming to her foster mom and the man but she wasn’t convinced. Deciding she wasn’t going to get any work done until she did some investigating of her own, Emma grabbed the story book and made her way out of the lounge and through the hospital to the room that John Doe was sleeping.

Entering the room, she noted that nothing looked different. The man was still laying there, in the same bed, with the same machines making the same noises, and nothing else. She walked over to the man’s side, placing the book on the chair beside the bed. She looked him over for a few minutes, taking in his features. He was very handsome she had to admit. Finally, she came across the scar on his chin that Henry insisted was the same one that Snow White had inflicted on Prince Charming the day they met. As much as she did not want to admit it, Henry was right, it did look the same. ‘ _Maybe…’_ she thought before shaking her head to remind herself that it was impossible. There was no such thing as a Curse, the people in the town were not story book characters, and this guy was not Prince Charming. She sat down in the chair behind her and let out a sigh while looking back at the man.

“I’m sorry, I guess you don’t get many people in here.” She waited as if he was going to give some kind of response. “I’m only here because my friend has this crazy idea that you’re Prince Charming and my foster mom is your true love Snow White.” The only acknowledgment she was received was the beeps from the machines that were monitoring Mr. Doe. “Here,” she reached behind her for the book she had laid on the chair when she arrived, “I have the book right here.” She opened it to the part where Snow White is trying to rob the Prince and held it up to the man. “I guess you can’t see what I’m talking about, huh?” Emma sighed and brought the book back down to her lap. Looking down at the book she got an idea. “I could read it to you…if you want.” She wasn’t sure why she was being so shy, it wasn’t like the man was going to object or anything.

Emma began to read the story to the man, it wasn’t as smooth as when Henry or Mary Margret would read to her, but she did her best. She would have to start sentences over, would trip over words, or would read the same line twice but, like she said, John Doe wasn’t going to care. Time went by and she though she didn’t read as much as Mary Margret had the night before, she had been able to get to the point where Prince Charming caught Snow White in the net. She was so focused on the words where she was in the story, she never noticed Mary Margret standing in the doorway until she cleared her throat, alerting Emma to her presence. Emma froze, her eyes were big with fear, praying the teacher had only just walked in and had not heard her reading struggles. “I…I was just…” Emma fumbled her words, looking back and forth from the book to John Doe, back to the book, and then up to Miss Blanchard before sighing in defeat.

“I went to the lounge after I finished my rounds but to my surprise…you weren’t there.” Mary Margret said with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised as she walked into the room. “You can imagine my surprise when one of the nurses found me and told me she had seen you walking around up here.” Emma hung her head, she was no longer worried about whether or not Mary Margret had noticed her reading, but knew she was in trouble. “Emma do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t find you?” her voice was becoming louder and Emma shrank back into the chair.

“I’m sorry.” Emma squeaked still not looking at the teacher.

Mary Margret was now standing in front of the girl. “Emma look at me.” She didn’t, Emma kept her eyes down, wanting to look anywhere but the older woman. Sighing, she squatted down in front of the girl, wishing she hadn’t chosen to wear a skirt that morning, gently lifting Emma’s chin with her thumb and index finger. Mary Margret made sure that Emma was looking right in her eyes, “I need to know where you are at all times Em. I need to know you’re safe. That’s my responsibility. Do you understand?”

Emma nodded her head while trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “I’m really sorry Mary Margret.” Her voice was shaky and if she said anymore, the flood gates would soon open.

“I know you are. Just, please don’t do it again.”

“Yes ma’am.” Emma agreed.

Mary Margret smiled softly before standing back up. Emma watched her turn around and look at John Doe before turning her attention back to her. “Were you reading him our story?”

“Umm…kinda.” Emma shrugged.

“Kinda?” Mary Margret questioned.

Deciding her reasoning for reading to a coma patient she didn’t know would be crazy without the whole story, Emma decided to tell Mary Margret about Henry’s crazy theory. “Henry thinks he’s Prince Charming.”

“He does, does he?”, Mary Margret looked back at the man lying in the bed. Emma cuoldn’t help but notice she didn’t seem surprised by her statement. “You know…Henry thinks I’m Snow White.” Mary Margret giggled, a big smile on her face when she turned back around.

“You know?” Emma nearly jumped in her seat at her admission.

“Ya, he told me a couple weeks ago, after I gave him the book.”

“Do you…believe him?” Emma questioned.

“I believe Henry has a very active imagination and needs the stories right now. He’s a very creative little boy.”

“I guess so.” Emma looked back at John Doe. “Soooo, if this guy in Prince Charming, that means he’s your….”

“My true love?” Mary Margret let out another laugh, “I guess so.” Emma could see the wheels turning in her head, “Who does he think you are?”

“I don’t know, he hasn’t told me yet.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll come up with something. Maybe you’re a princess too.” Mary Margret winked at Emma. “Now, how about we finish our story from last night. I would hate to leave Prince Charming to wonder what happened.” Emma smiled, and stood up so that Mary Margret could sit in the chair. She looked around for another chair but didn’t see one. Deciding she would get one from the hallway she started to make her way to the door. “Where do you think you’re going?” Mary Margret’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“I was going to grab a chair.”

“Don’t be silly, you can sit with me.” Mary Margret patted her lap. “You can help me hold the book. If memory serves, it was pretty heavy last night.”

Emma hesitated at first but decided to take her up on the offer. She carefully climbed up onto the teachers lap, turning her legs to the side to better fit. Emma was small for her age, but at twelve, it wasn’t as easy as it might have been when she was younger to sit in someone’s lap. Emma laid her head down against Mary Margret’s shoulder, the woman’s chin resting near her forehead. Her arms wrapped around Emma, and settled the book in her lap. “Would you like to read?” Mary Margret offered.

“No!” Emma answered quickly. “I mean…I like it better when you read.”

“You sure? I thought you were doing much better than usual when I heard you earlier.”

Emma sat up and looked at the teacher suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

Mary Margret smiled softly, “I know reading isn’t always easy for you sweetie.”

“How do you know?” Emma started to panic. She had tried so hard to hide it!

“Oh, it’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

“I’m not!” Emma was getting defensive.

“Hey, hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Emma knew she hadn’t. It was just every time she went to new home and the foster parents were informed of her reading struggle, she would be met with sighs of dread. No one wanted to put more effort into a foster kid than they needed to. Then she would go to the new school, with the new teacher, who would either refer her to the school counselor or, more often than not, ignore it. “We’ll work through this. I’ll talk to your teacher and we’ll make a plan. We can practice every night if we have to.” Hearing this, Emma looked at Mary Margret in shock. No one had ever wanted to help her before or had been so understanding. She really was different. “Now, how about we settle in and finish our story, we still need to eat dinner and I’m sure you have some homework.” Emma stared at the woman a moment longer before leaning back against her shoulder once again. “ _I told you I would find you. No matter what you do, I will always find you_.” Mary Margret began to read.

Emma listened as the story continued. Snow White and Prince Charming defeated the trolls at the bridge and got the jewels back, the bandit Princess went to find her Prince in answer to his letter but because of the ruthless King George, had to break his heart to save him. She listened as Mary Margret read on while Snow White took her memories of the Prince with a potion given to her by Rumpelstiltskin but gained them back when Charming put himself in harms way to save her from killing the Queen and turning her heart dark, only to lose each other again when King George’s men found Charming. Snow White, with the help of her friends, broke into the castle to save him but he was now in the hands of the Queen. The only way to save him was to strike a deal with the evil witch. The princess willingly bit into the poison apple, falling into a deep sleep like curse, that was only broke by true loves kiss from her Prince Charming.

The Prince and Princess looked to be well on their way to their happy ending when they made it to their wedding day. As the two exchanged their vows, the Evil Queen crashed the party and promised to take away their happiness. That was when Mary Margret began to read the part of the story that Emma had been looking for. “ _As the curse approached, Snow White realized that the wardrobe could only take one and that in order to save her baby, they needed to send the infant through alone. Knowing it would be years if at all before she saw her daughter again, Snow placed a tearful kiss to the infant’s head_. _Goodbye Emma.”_

“Emma?” the girl shot up upon hearing her name. Snow White’s baby shared her name!

“I guess I was right,” Mary Margret smiled at her, “you are a princess!”

Emma was speechless as she stared at the picture of Snow White holding her baby. A baby who’s name was Emma and was wrapped in a blanket that looked an awful lot like her own. Mary Margret continued to read, unfazed by the latest development. Emma was still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. “ _Where are you taking us?” Snow White cried out as objects in the room began to be sucked up into the swirling vortex. “Someplace horrible.” The Queen smiled in victory.””_ When Emma looked over at John Doe, she noticed his hand twitching. Her eyes went wide.

“That’s the end I guess.” Emma turned back to see Mary Margret staring at the book with a puzzled expression. “Odd ending for a fairy tale.”, she mumbled.

“Did you see that!” Emma finally spoke up.

“See what?” Mary Margret looked around the room with alarm.

“Him! John Doe! His hand moved, I saw it!” Emma jumped up from the teacher’s lap and ran to the man.

“Honey, he’s not waking up.” Mary Margret moved over to Emma’s side.

“Yes he is! When you finished the story, I saw his hand start to twitch. He’s waking up I know it!” Emma was insistent that she had seen the man move.

Mary Margret sighed, “I think it’s time to go home.” She tried to guide Emma out by her shoulders but the girl shrugged her off.

“No!” Emma gave a defiant look.

“Emma, I said it’s time to…” Mary Margret began to scold but stopped short. Emma saw a look of shock come across her face. She turned back to see John Doe struggling to open his eyes. When he finally did, he stared right at them, as if trying to figure out who they were.

Emma turned back to the older woman, “I told you.”, she smirked.

Mary Margret stared at the man for another moment then looked down at Emma, “Stay here!” She ran out of the room before Emma could protest. When she came back, she was followed by a team of nurses with Dr. Whale and Mary Margret hot on their tales. “I don’t know! Emma and I were reading him and story and then all of a sudden he just…woke up!”

“My God, he is awake.” The Doctor was just as stunned as the teacher. He went right to work, joining the nurses who were checking the man’s vital signs and asking him questions. “Sir? Sir do you know where you are? What’s your name?”

While all this was happening, Emma felt Mary Margret grab her by the shoulders and pull her out of the room. “It’s time to go Emma.”

“No! Wait I want to stay!” Emma tried to argue.

“We need to go, we’ll only be in the way.”

“But…”

“Emma, I said now.” Mary Margret had a look that crossed between scared and irritated. Emma let go of the fight she knew was coming and agreed to follow the woman out of the hospital and to the car. 

The drive home was quiet, neither of them wanting to talk about what had happened. Millions of thoughts raced through her head, non-more important than what Henry had told her. That someone in the town was Snow White and Prince Charming’s daughter. Her name had been Emma, just like hers. Then there was “Prince Charming” waking up when Mary Margret, or Snow White, finished the story. It was almost like…like…dare she say it…magic! Before tonight, she was a thousand percent sure that Henry’s story was just that, a story. There was no way it was real! But now? Now Emma was starting to have doubts. Looking up to the front seat, she took in Mary Margret. She really looked at the woman’s features, noticing more and more now the similarities between her and the illustration in the book. Even the man at the hospital resembled the Prince in the book. Her head was starting to hurt. She really needed to talk to Henry. First thing when she got to school, she was going to find her friend and get her answers.


	15. Chapter 15

“Henry!”, Emma called out to her friend as she ran across the playground. She was supposed to be eating lunch but she knew Henry’s class would be outside for recess. She had to tell her friend about what happened with John Doe the night before. Not to mention the loft and drive to school this morning. Mary Margret had received a call from the hospital asking her to come in. The needed to ask her some questions about what had happened before Mr. Doe, or David Nolan they had come to learn through his emergency contact, had woken up. Apparently, he had managed to run away from the hospital sometime in the morning. Emma had tried to talk the teacher into letting her miss school to help look for him, but she had refused. She had tried every argument she could think of as they hurried out of the loft and to the car. Mary Margret would not budge, she was adamite that Emma go to school and that she go straight to Granny’s afterwards where she would later pick her up. She had already called to let Ruby know.

Henry finally spotted her and began to run towards her, meeting her hallway at the basketball court. “What are you doing out here?”, he questioned her.

“He woke up!” Emma tried to say while gasping for air.

“Who woke up?” Henry looked confused until a look of understanding came across his face. “Wait! John Doe? He woke up? How do you know? When? How?” He began to rattle off questions left and right before Emma could get a chance to answer the first.

Having finally caught her breath, Emma grabbed his shoulders to look him in the eyes. “Last night, Mary Margret had to go to the hospital and took me with her. She left me in the lounge to do homework but I took your storybook and went to his room. I read him the Snow White and Prince Charming story, you know the one where they meet?

Henry started to ask another question but Emma held up her hand to stop him. “Don’t ask why, I just did ok?” So I was reading to him and then Mary Margret found me. She was not happy, let me tell you. I mean she wasn’t like scary unhappy, she just had that ‘I’m very disappointed in you, young lady look and went through the whole do as your told…”

“Emma!” Henry snapped her out of her rant.

“Oh ya, sorry. So Mary Margret came in, wasn’t happy with me for leaving the lounge but ended up finishing the story for me. Right when she read the part where The Curse takes everyone from the Enchanted Forest away, I looked over at John Doe and noticed his hand start to move!”

“No way!” Henry gasped.

“Yes way! I told Mary Margret, but, of course she didn’t believe me until she looked at him again and his eyes were open! He woke up Henry!”

“You’re a genius Emma!”

“I know…wait…huh?”

“The book! Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I’m lost.”

“Reading him his story. He’s remembering, that’s why he woke up? Miss Blanchard is Snow White, they share true love. So her reading their story to him is helping him wake up. Plus you…I mean…Snow White woke him up! That’s so cool!”

“Wait a second, what about me?” Emma had a feeling she knew where her friends slip up was going but she wanted to hear it from him.

“Nothing” Henry tried to wave her off. “We need to…”

“Nooooo. What about me Henry?” She waited, stared down her friend, she wasn’t going to let this go. He looked utterly uncomfortable by the look she was giving him. “Henry Mills.”, she kept her voice calm but strong.

“Fine.”, he sighed, “I know who you are.”

“Who I am?” Oh ya, she was going to get her answers, she just had to play dumb just a little bit longer. “You mean in the book? You think I’m in the book.” She gave him look of doubt mixed with ‘you have to be kidding me’.

“I’ve known for a while now.”, he shrugged.

“How long is a while?”

“Since the night we met?” Henry grimaced.

“Ooookkk…so why haven’t you said anything before?”

Henry sighed, “Because you kept saying The Curse wasn’t real!

“I never…well, I mean…I never, _actually,_ said I didn’t think The Curse could be real. I said it was unlikely.”

“Same thing.” Henry narrowed his eyes at her.

“Whatever.” Emma brushed him off, “Who do you think I am?”

“You won’t believe me, so why should I tell you.”

“What difference will it make? If I don’t believe you it won’t change anything.” Henry gave her argument some thought. “Come on Henry! We don’t have much time before my lunch is over and you go back to your classroom.”

“You’re the baby!” he blurted out.

“The baby?” here we go, Emma silently cheered her victory. She knew if she pushed enough Henry would break.

“Ya, you’re Prince Charming and Snow White’s baby. The one they put through the wardrobe. Snow White named her Emma.”

“So, let me get this straight. You think John Doe, is Prince Charming?”

“Yes.”

“And you think Mary Margret is Snow White?”

“Yes.”

“And you think, because Snow White and Prince Charming are true loves, that’s why he woke up? Because Mary Margret read him their story?”

“That’s my theory.”

“And Snow White named her and Prince Charming’s baby Emma, right?”

“Yaaa…” Emma could tell he was trying to figure out where her questions were going.

“And the baby, baby Emma, is…me?”

“See I told you, you don’t believe me.”

Emma ignored his conclusion, “If I’m the baby…that would make…” All of a sudden, it occurred to her what it would mean if she really was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. “…that would make John Doe my…dad.”

Henry’s attention snapped back up to the girl. His eyes began to widen as he watched the gears in her head begin to turn. “And…” he encouraged her to continue.

“…and Mary Margret…would be my…” she couldn’t say it. There was no way this was actually possible. Sure, last night she had her suspicions. She wanted to hear it from Henry, wanted him to tell her it wasn’t crazy, that this was possible. Now, now it was starting to make sense. She wasn’t sure why, but it was. Maybe it was how she suddenly found the town after she missed the bus, how nothing seemed to make sense when she would ask people about their pasts, or what about when Mr. Gold magically had an answer that would keep her in Storybrooke with Mary Margret and not have to go back to the group home in Boston. The connection she felt to the woman, how she instantly felt safe the minute she stepped foot in her loft. There was also the miracle of John Doe suddenly waking up last night. All the proof was there she just couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

“She’s your mom, Emma.” Henry answered for her.

“I…but…but I just…” she stammered, unable to get any words out of her mouth that made any sense.

“It’s ok, it took me a little bit to wrap my head around it.” Henry patted her shoulder. “By the way, where is your mom?”

Emma’s eyes snapped to his, “Please don’t call her that.”

“Sorry.”, his mouth curved up into a smile. “Where is Ms. Blanchard? Why didn’t she come to school?”

“That’s the other thing I needed to tell you. The hospital called Mary Margret this morning. John Doe, I mean David, ran away! She went to answer some questions and help the Sheriff look for him.”

“Don’t you see what’s happening?”

“Um…no.”

“He’s looking for Snow White!”

“Henry…”

“He’s going to the last place he remembers being with her.”

“Which is?”

“We have to find Mary Margret and Sheriff Graham!” Henry started to take off for the side entrance to the playground, essentially ignoring her question.

“Woah, woah, wait.” Emma grabbed his shirt to stop him. “We can’t just leave school Henry. Someone is bound to notice, and you know who the first person they’ll call is?”

Henry groaned, “Our moms’”

“ _Your_ mom and my…Mary Margret.” This was getting confusing.

“Fine, then meet me after school and we can go look for them then.”

“I’m supposed to go to Granny’s after school.”

“By the time we get to the woods and Ruby notices you aren’t there, we will probably have found them already. Come on Emma, we have to help them!”

Emma thought about it for more than a moment. On one hand, she thought it could be fun to go on an adventure with her friend. Plus, if this David guy really was her dad, and Henry knew where to look, they had to help. On the other hand, she had already been in trouble with Mary Margret last night for not listening when she said to stay in the lounge. She was pretty sure she would be in even more trouble for running off to the woods. But maybe if they helped find Prince Charming, all would be forgiven?

“Ok, after final bell, we meet over by the oak tree and wait for the busses to leave. Then we start at the trail head.”

As soon as school let out, Emma met up with Henry outside the building. They decided to head back to the loft first, mainly so Emma could change, but also so they could see if Mary Margret had returned home yet. Walking in, they realized she hadn’t and so continued on with their plan to help the adults find the missing Prince Charming. Emma came down the stairs, having quickly changed from her school clothes into a pair of jeans and long sleeve forest green thermal shirt. In place of her loafers she had thrown on a pair of hiking boots, knowing they might be on the trails for a while.

“Ready?” Henry eagerly asked standing at the door.

“Ya, just let me grab my jacket.” Emma went to the coat rack where Mary Margret had hung her wind jacket. Slipping her arms into the sleeves, she noticed the rather impatient look her friend was giving her. “What? We’re already going to be in enough trouble when we find them. The last thing I need is to get yelled at for not wearing a jacket!”

“Emma Swan is afraid of getting in trouble?” Henry snickered reaching for the door.

“I’m not afraid!” Emma argued back. “I just don’t want to have to listen to another one of Mary Margret’s lectures.”

“Whatever.” The boy rolled his eyes and walked out the door pausing while Emma locked it. “You’re afraid of your mom.”

“I am not! And don’t call her that.” Emma glared. She made her way past Henry being sure to hit him in the shoulder with her own.

The two friends made their way to the hiking trails near the hospital. They figured their best bet was to start at the beginning and see if they could catch the adults trail. Henry had insisted it would be easy, after all, how hard could it be to find a coma patient? However, Emma insisted hard enough since the search party had yet to find the man, and they had been looking since this morning. He then reminded her that they had to be looking in the wrong place, hence their mission to find them and steer the wayward adults in the right direction.

The sun had finished it’s decent over the horizon before they heard voices coming from their left. Emma and Henry ran towards the sound when they came to its source at the edge of a small overhang. Before Emma could stop him, Henry rushed down the incline and towards the Sheriff and Mary Margret. Letting out a sigh of frustration at his eagerness, she made her way down as well.

“Henry!” she heard her foster mother call out in surprise at seeing her student out in the woods.

“Did you find him yet?” Henry asked, not noticing the slight panic in the woman’s voice. Emma continued towards the two, tripping over a branch but catching herself before she could fall.

“No, not yet…” Mary Margret began to answer before catching sight of her foster daughter. “Emma! Why aren’t you at Granny’s? What…you two shouldn’t be out here!” Her eyes were the size of saucers, looking back and forth at the two children.

“I know where he’s going!” Henry answered before Emma could attempt to defend their actions

“And where’s that?” Mary Margret asked, hands on her hips.

“He’s looking for you.” Henry answered seriously.

Mary Margret looked back to Emma who simply shrugged and nodded her head in agreement with her friend. The Sheriff had made his way over to the little group and was listening intently. “How did you two find us? It’s nearly dark and we’ve been looking for hours.”

“That doesn’t matter. Just trust me Sheriff, we can help you find him!” Henry wasn’t about to answer the man’s question, he was determined to help.

Graham looked over to Mary Margret who had yet to take her eyes off the girl who was trying to look anywhere but the older woman. Sighing, he nodded his head, “Where will he be Henry.”

“The toll bridge, come on, it’s this way!” Henry headed off in the direction of the bridge, Graham hot on his heels.

Emma started to walk but was held back by Mary Margret grabbing her wrist. It wasn’t a painful grip but strong enough that the girl knew she had better stop. Mary Margret moved herself to be in front of Emma, leveling her eyes with the girl, “We will be discussing this when we get home.” Her voice was strong and stern, a level that Emma had not heard come from her before. It was enough for her stomach to drop, she was in big trouble that much was sure.

After what felt like hours to Emma, what with Mary Margret’s eyes burning the back of her skull, but was only thirty minutes at least, they finally arrived at the stream. “Where is he? Can you see him?” she heard Mary Margret call out from behind her.

“The trail dies at the water line.” Graham answered, having found footprints nearly a mile back. It had been the encouragement they needed to pick up their pace. They began to search the shore, looking for any sign the man had been there.

Just when it seemed like another dead end, she heard Mary Margret yell out in horror. “Oh my God!” Emma turned to see her running towards a large object in the water.

“I need an ambulance! At the old toll bridge as soon as possible!” Graham called into his radio. The kids followed behind them before stopping short of the water. They watched the adults pull the man onto the shore. He was still in his hospital gown but was soaking wet from laying in the water. Emma wasn’t a doctor but she knew with the chill in the air that couldn’t have been a great place for him to be.

“No no no no! I found you!” Mary Margret was in a near panic.

“Is he ok!” Now Henry was the one freaking out.

Emma tried to turn Henry away from the scene, she herself scared to look. Glancing back over her shoulder, she watched Mary Margret pleading with the man. “Come back to me.”, she heard the woman whisper before starting CPR. Time ticked by, but the compressions and rescue breaths didn’t seem to be working. Emma could feel tears brimming in her eyes, this man couldn’t die, he had to wake up! If Henry was right, and this man was her dad…he just had to wake up! She watched Mary Margret give one last breath that she could have sworn looked more like a kiss. Then, suddenly, he coughed up the water from his lungs and took gasping breaths.

“You saved me.”, he struggled to say through gasping breaths.

“She did it. She did it!” Henry grabbed and shook her arms. “She woke him up.”

“Ya…she did.” Emma couldn’t believe it.


End file.
